When Setsuna heard this, a wave of grievance and guilt rose in his heart. He heavily kowtowed once.
"I'm sorry, Lord Madara. My father wanted to go with you. He had already packed his belongings..."
"But in the end, before leaving, my mother hugged him and asked, 'After you leave, what will happen to the two of us, mother and son?'"
"In the end... he still chose to stay."
"In the years after that, he was tormented inside. Not long after, he fell gravely ill and was bedridden."
"Before he passed, he held my hand and told me, 'The greatest regret of my life was not resolutely following behind Lord Madara back then.'"
Madara fell silent for a moment. Yes, back then, the Uchiha clan was already tightly bound to Konoha. Everyone had their own families. If they followed him in leaving, would they really abandon their families without hesitation?
As he remained silent, Setsuna once again kowtowed loudly, "I'm sorry, Lord Madara. It was all because of me. At that time, I was too young, and my father couldn't bear to leave me to grow up alone, so..."
Madara waved his hand, his expression somewhat desolate, "Forget it. I don't blame you. In a way, Tokiko was also a responsible person."
He lifted his head and looked at the night sky outside the courtyard, thinking to himself, 'So that's how it was. Perhaps back then, many clansmen didn't refuse to follow me because they disagreed with my ideals, but rather because... they had loved ones by their side, emotions they couldn't bear to part with.'
'Just like Obito, who changed because of that little girl, Rin.'
At that moment, a part of the resentment in Madara's heart suddenly dissipated.
He looked at Setsuna and sighed, "You've aged too. Back then, you were just a young boy... Perhaps I was never really a qualified clan leader."
Tears welled up in Setsuna's eyes, "Please, don't say that. The fact that you've returned is already the greatest fortune!"
Saying that, he once again heavily kowtowed, "Lord Madara, the Uchiha clan is too weak now. Please, you must take the position of clan leader and restore the Uchiha to greatness!"
Madara's gaze darkened. For a brief moment, a surge of impulse rose in his heart, but soon, he shook his head.
His time was running out.
He simply asked, "Do you have any young children or descendants? Bring them to see me tomorrow. Perhaps I can offer them some guidance."
Setsuna shook his head, "I'm sorry, Lord Madara. From my father's experience, I realized that forming a family makes people weak and wavers their resolve."
"So, to uphold your will, I never married. Only because of that did I dare to launch a coup and attempt to assassinate that despicable Senju Tobirama."
For some reason, Uchiha Madara suddenly felt a little sorrowful.
The man before him should have been standing on his side, yet in the end, he had grown old and withered away in Konoha.
He asked, "Was it worth it?"
Without the slightest hesitation, Uchiha Setsuna replied, "It was worth it. Dedicating everything to Lord Madara is always worth it!"
Madara shook his head and finally asked, "Do you have any unfulfilled wishes?"
Setsuna suddenly looked up. He had already understood Madara's meaning, and for a moment, he felt a deep melancholy, "My wish was for Lord Madara to return and lead the clan to glory. But... it seems Lord Madara has no such intention."
Madara slowly said, "I am old. Though I may still look young, my body is in worse condition than you imagine. I am no longer suited to do such things."
But then, he added, "However, someone will lead the Uchiha to glory. On this, you need not worry. He sees further than I do, and what he accomplishes will be greater than what I ever could."
Setsuna was shocked. He had never expected the indomitable Madara to say something like this.
He hesitated and asked, "Lord Madara, could you mean Fugaku? But his personality is too weak, too hesitant..."
Madara shook his head, "It doesn't matter who the clan leader is. With Obito around, the Uchiha won't decline."
Uchiha Setsuna looked at Madara in disbelief, "Obito? The newly appointed Eighth Elder? Isn't he just a pawn supported by Fugaku? Though he learned the Flying Thunder God Technique, he's too young, and... he hasn't even awakened his Sharingan yet."
But soon, Setsuna recalled that Madara had been by Obito's side back then. He had even mistaken Lord Madara for Obito's follower.
Thinking back now, he wished he could dig a hole and bury himself.
Madara couldn't help but shake his head.
'Hasn't awakened his Sharingan? What a joke. Then what was that ability where I spat out nineteen minutes' worth of "Great Fire Annihilation" and still couldn't hit a single target?'
Obito's Mangekyō was defined by one thing—shamelessness.
Madara coughed lightly, "Obito is not as simple as you think. Don't look at him as just a child. I can tell you directly. He has not only awakened his eyes, but also, what he has awakened is no ordinary Sharingan."
Setsuna froze, suddenly realizing a possibility, "Lord Madara, you don't mean... How is that possible? He's only ten years old!"
Madara said indifferently, "Nothing is impossible. He awakened his eyes much earlier than you think."
"In short, his situation is extremely special. Fugaku appointing him as an elder may not be as simple as you think. After all, Fugaku also possesses those eyes. He may have already sensed something."
"What?", Setsuna was shocked, "The clan leader has also awakened the Mangekyō?"
Madara nodded and said calmly, "Yes, I sensed it. When I revealed my identity just now, for a brief moment, he tried to activate his eyes to test me. That chakra fluctuation was not from an ordinary three-tomoe Sharingan."
Setsuna was overjoyed. He hadn't expected three pairs of Mangekyō Sharingan to appear within the clan all of a sudden. Did this mean that the Uchiha coup now had hope?
He suddenly felt that he could push forward even further.
Madara saw through his thoughts and warned him, "Don't get ahead of yourself. Obito has already made arrangements. If you truly wish to contribute to the Uchiha, you can follow his orders. He may not have my boldness, but due to certain unspeakable reasons, he has an advantage over me."
Hearing this, Setsuna breathed a sigh of relief, "Lord, rest assured. From now on, I will pledge my life to follow Obito!"
The corners of Madara's mouth curled slightly in a nearly imperceptible smile, "Just maintain a normal relationship. Besides reviving the Uchiha, do you have any personal wishes?"
Setsuna was stunned for a moment before he finally said, "Perhaps because I've grown old, I've come to like children more and more. I hope that the next generation of Uchiha can grow strong."
Madara nodded, "In the coming days, find a time to gather the Uchiha children together. For your sake, I can give them some guidance."
Setsuna was overjoyed. If those children could receive Madara's teachings, their strength would improve tremendously.
He immediately said, "Understood, I will arrange it."
Madara waved his hand, "It's late. Leave now, I need to rest."
Without hesitation, Setsuna replied, "Yes."
With that, he vanished in an instant.
Madara stood in the courtyard, looking up at Konoha's night sky. Suddenly, he felt that tonight's stars shone especially brightly...
"Hashirama, if, when I was leaving, you had held me back like Tokiko's wife... would I have stayed?" [T/N: Geh]
But soon, Madara shook his head vigorously.
He felt that Obito had been corrupting his thoughts.
What nonsense about being held back and protected. It made it sound like he and Hashirama had some kind of improper relationship.
Clearly, they were just the purest of friends.
The more he thought about it, the angrier he became. Because of Obito's words, he was starting to doubt his own feelings... [T/N: Ultimate Gaslighting]
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