Chapter 29

"Brother, did you really kill Father?" Izunade asked, her voice trembling.

"Madara!" Cat Fairy sighed. She had followed Madara for three years and knew his personality well.

If someone touched his sore spot, it didn't matter if it was his father; he would kill even a god.

"Izunade, I hope you understand that in this world, there are only two people I care about, and both are right in front of me. I will avenge Uncle Hai, and whoever stands in my way will die," Madara said indifferently.

"Then why did you kill Father?" Izunade clenched her fists and stared at Madara.

"I have already told you everything that happened. If you think I'm lying, you can ask any of the clan's ninjas," Madara said calmly.

"Who would dare to say anything bad about you now that you're the head of the Uchiha clan?" Izunade sneered.

"Izunade, I didn't kill him just for the position of clan head," Madara frowned slightly, unable to say some things, or rather, he didn't know how to say them.

"Then why? Why don't you just say it?" Izunade stood up, agitated, and shouted.

"For the future."

Madara closed his eyes and then opened them, his demonic Mangekyou Sharingan staring at Izunade.

"What kind of Sharingan is that?" Izunade was shocked.

"Mangekyou Sharingan, the advanced form of the Three-Tomoe Sharingan. You will have it too one day," Madara said calmly, "If I had died, what would you have done?"

"Avenged you!" Izunade blurted out, then paused, seeing Madara's smiling face, she angrily said, "But it wasn't you who died."

"What do you want to do? Kill me? Avenge him?" Madara smiled.

"I don't know! I don't know anything." Izunade gritted her teeth, gave Madara a deep look, and ran out.

"Madara!" Cat Fairy asked worriedly.

"I'll go check on her. Wait here," Madara stood up and walked out.

Izunade ran wildly, unknowingly arriving at the training forest. She tripped on a stone and fell to the ground. Just as she was about to get up, she froze.

Looking around at the familiar scenery, she remembered the times she had secretly watched her brother train.

"Why is it like this!" Izunade sobbed softly, her tears wetting the ground. She pounded the ground fiercely, not knowing how to face her brother.

"Have you cried enough?" A cold voice came from behind Izunade.

"What are you doing here?" Izunade wiped her tears, stood up, and glared at Madara coldly.

"Izunade, do you remember your other three brothers?" Madara sat under a tree, looking up at the dense branches.

"..." Izunade remained silent.

"They all died in battle one after another. I was only six years old then, and they were a year younger than me, which means they were only five when they went to war. Over the years, I've thought a lot. Sending a five-year-old to war is the cruelest thing possible. I clearly remember that the third one was the first to die. I felt like the sky had fallen. I went to question Father, asking him why he sent the third one to war. If it were up to me, I would have been the only one to go to war, at least until I died, and then they could go. Do you know what he said?" Madara's face was obscured by the shadows of the leaves, his expression unreadable, his voice low.

"What did he say?" Izunade asked.

"He slapped me and called me a weakling, scolding me harshly. He told me that a ninja's destiny is to fight, and for a ninja, dying on the battlefield is the best end." Madara's Sharingan slowly rotated, emitting a crimson glow.

With power comes a desire to fight, and without power, one loses everything.

"He once told me that a ninja is a tool for killing, only needing to follow orders, without any emotions," Izunade hesitated.

"Ha ha, he said the same to me. I believed it at the time, until one day I killed a child. I clearly remember the hatred in that child's brother's eyes," Madara sighed deeply.

"What, what happened to him?" Izunade asked softly.

"Of course, I killed him too." Madara's face was calm, seeing the pained look in Izunade's eyes, he said calmly, "You think I'm cruel, but at that time, I didn't know anything. I was just following Father's will. It wasn't until my younger brother died in front of me that I understood how it felt."

Izunade saw the dim look in Madara's eyes and didn't know what to say.

"Every time one of my three younger brothers died, it felt like someone was cutting my heart. When only you, the youngest, were left, I secretly vowed that I would never let you be hurt. In the second year of my training, I thought you were already five years old and was very afraid that you would also go to war. I wanted to come back, but at that time, I didn't even have the Three-Tomoe Sharingan. I still couldn't do anything, so I trained for another year. During that time, I trained hard and finally became a Jonin. When I came back, I found out that Uncle Hai had died." Madara sighed, looking up. No matter where he was, pain always accompanied him. Because of this, he yearned for power, just to protect the beauty in front of him.

Looking back on the past, I realized that the painful times were the most valuable in my life, because those countless days and nights shaped who I am today.

Izunade's heart slowly tilted, but there was still one last straw that could break the camel's back.

"Izunade, I only hope you understand that no matter what the future holds, I will protect you. In this world, no one is a tool. People's struggles should not involve the innocent. Corrupt things need to be changed. To protect what I cherish, I am willing to become a demon," Madara stood up, touched Izunade's little head, and looked at her intently.

Izunade suddenly looked up, her eyes revealing a single-tomoe Sharingan. She had opened her Sharingan a year earlier than Madara, though it was also because of him.

"You are indeed a genius!" Madara smiled.

"Is this the Sharingan?" Izunade murmured. Indeed, it was a cursed eye, and only those who had experienced pain could open it.

As the sky grew dark, Madara saw that Izunade had calmed down. He squatted down and smiled, "Let me carry you back!"

Izunade hesitated for a moment, then silently climbed onto Madara's back. Looking at his handsome profile, she remembered how every time she secretly watched her brother train, he would always notice and carry her back when she asked.

Back then, even though her brother was exhausted after a day of training, he never refused her request.

Madara carried Izunade through the forest. The setting sun's afterglow lengthened his shadow, and the breeze fluttered the edges of his clothes. At that moment, the thoughts of the two brothers were surprisingly in sync.

"Lord Madara!"

"Clan Head!"

As they passed by the Uchiha clan members, whether they were ninjas or civilians, all bowed respectfully.

"Brother!" Izunade murmured, seeing the smiles on the clan members' faces, she felt for the first time that what Madara had done was right.

"That's not bad!" Izunade buried her head in Madara's back, acting like an ostrich, not thinking about the unhappy things.