Chapter 43

Madara fell silent. By nature, he was suspicious. His alliance with the Senju clan was entirely due to Hashirama Senju, and the Ino-Shika-Cho trio was merely an add-on. Now, with Sarutobi Sasuke proposing an alliance, Madara couldn't help but think deeply about it.

"Leader Madara, if you don't believe me, you can take some time to consider it. I will personally visit the Uchiha clan in a while, and we can discuss the details," Sarutobi Sasuke said with a smile, seemingly understanding Madara's thoughts.

"I want to ally with the Senju clan simply to avoid dragging the Uchiha into the mire of war. If the Sarutobi clan intends to use the Uchiha's strength to incite war, I will not agree to the alliance," Madara said calmly.

"Leader Madara, what you say is very true. We sincerely wish to form a mutually supportive alliance with the Uchiha, and we will not help the Uchiha start a war," Sarutobi Sasuke smiled.

"I hope you're telling the truth. I'll wait for you in the Uchiha clan. Farewell." Madara glanced at Sarutobi Sasuke, shouldered the Fire Fan, and turned to leave.

"Leader Madara, I've already resolved the Shikamaru clan's issue, so you don't need to trouble yourself with it," Sarutobi Sasuke hurriedly called out, fearing that Madara would cause another commotion at the Shikamaru clan.

Madara paused for a moment, then continued walking away.

As the sky grew darker, the setting sun's afterglow lengthened Madara's shadow. Sarutobi Sasuke stood in place, watching Madara leave until he disappeared from sight.

"Uchiha Madara, I'm putting the future of the Sarutobi clan on you. Don't let me down!" Sarutobi Sasuke muttered, a bitter smile on his lips. "Now, I need to think about how to explain this to the clan."

Madara arrived at a secluded place, deactivated his clone, and put away the 'stone hat' and 'replica robot.' He then put on the 'bamboo helicopter,' took to the sky, and opened his Sharingan to search for Cat Fairy.

"Cat Fairy!" Madara shouted when he saw her, flying towards her.

"Madara!" Cat Fairy flew to Madara's side, carefully examining him to see if he was injured.

"Let's go home," Madara said with a smile.

"Did you resolve your issue? Do you not need to go to the Shikamaru clan anymore?" Cat Fairy asked in surprise.

"No, there was an unexpected turn of events, but the result is the same," Madara said with a smile.

"Huh? What happened?" Cat Fairy asked curiously.

"Let's talk while we fly. First, help me put away the Fire Fan," Madara said, waving the large fan with a smile.

"Okay." Cat Fairy put the Fire Fan into the four-dimensional space.

Madara held Cat Fairy, turned off her bamboo helicopter, and flew off into the distance.

"What exactly happened? I didn't see any battle below," Cat Fairy asked hurriedly.

"This time, I met a very interesting person," Madara recounted everything that had happened.

"You mean Sarutobi Sasuke didn't fight you and instead wanted to ally with the Uchiha clan?" Cat Fairy asked incredulously.

"Yes," Madara nodded.

"Is he crazy? You were almost at his doorstep, and he still wants to make peace with you?" Cat Fairy asked helplessly.

"Maybe he was stunned by my handsome appearance and completely immersed in my unparalleled charm," Madara joked.

"Uchiha Madara!" Cat Fairy glared at him fiercely.

"I don't know if he's genuinely seeking an alliance or if he has some ulterior motive," Madara said with a bitter laugh, no longer joking.

"What should we do? If he really comes to the Uchiha clan to form an alliance, will you agree?" Cat Fairy asked, somewhat worried.

"I don't know. We'll see how I feel at the time," Madara said nonchalantly.

Cat Fairy sighed helplessly, feeling that communicating with him was too difficult. Sometimes, Madara acted like a child, though he was indeed a child.

"Why think so much! What am I afraid of? Whether he's sincere or not, he's just a nobody to me." Madara's eyes were calm. If he had to fight, he was unafraid of anyone, but he was not good at or interested in scheming.

"Madara!" Cat Fairy curled up in Madara's warm embrace, feeling a sense of peace.

After flying for a while, it was completely dark, so they landed on a rock in a forest.

"I knew you were directionally challenged, but I didn't think you wouldn't even know where the North Star is," Cat Fairy said, squatting beside Madara and staring at him disdainfully after dinner.

"We're both directionally challenged. You can't find it either, right?" Madara laughed.

"Who said I can't? You're just afraid to fly at night," Cat Fairy said angrily.

"Night flying is dangerous. There's no navigation system. Camping at night is more fun. It's rare for me to have time to be with you, aren't you happy?" Madara laughed.

"Idiot, you wander around the Uchiha clan all day and don't seem to manage anything," Cat Fairy blushed, retorting.

"If I could, I'd rather not manage anything. I wish we could just wander freely, doing as we please. Since I came to this world, I've been training and fighting non-stop, sacrificing a lot for the Uchiha clan and losing a lot," Madara lay on a rock, gazing at the beautiful night sky, lost in the rare tranquility.

"Madara!" Cat Fairy stared at Uchiha Madara, seemingly for the first time seeing this man complain.

"Qin Shi, do you regret becoming Uchiha Madara?" Cat Fairy suddenly asked.

"I will never regret it. Why should I? I am Uchiha Madara, a formidable and powerful figure. Now, I finally have the strength to resist, free from any constraints and humiliation. There's nothing more exciting than this. Qin Shi is just a memory, a past life," Madara's eyes sparkled under the starlight when he heard the name 'Qin Shi.'

"But when you were still Qin Shi, you didn't have to work so hard or risk your life!" Cat Fairy said loudly.

The longer she stayed in this ninja world, the more she realized its cruelty. She feared that if Madara were to die one day, she would die of guilt, as she had brought him to this world, though it was his choice.

"Cat Fairy, I remember you asked me a question before, about what I thought when I was still Qin Shi," Madara turned his head to look at Cat Fairy.

"Ah! You weren't sleeping then?" Cat Fairy shouted, jumping onto him and glaring at him angrily.

"I'm not good at expressing myself. Some things make me heartbroken just thinking about them, let alone saying them out loud." Madara took a deep breath and sighed. "My past life is my deepest secret. When you met me, I was indeed a shut-in, but that was just the surface. I struggled to survive. I always thought that if I worked hard, I could get what I wanted, but as my dreams were shattered by reality, I realized that what some people strive for their whole lives can be obtained by others in a minute. But I still had to work harder because if I didn't, I wouldn't even have the right to live, and my last hope would slip away. At that time, I didn't even know where my tomorrow was."

Madara's eyes were downcast, his expression uncertain.

"..." Cat Fairy was silent, for the first time realizing this man's deeply painful side.

"I had nothing back then. If it weren't for you, my death would have been meaningless. You gave me a chance, and more importantly, hope to live," Madara closed his eyes and said softly.

"Can you tell me what happened in the past?" Cat Fairy asked softly.

"Some things are better left as secrets. I've finally managed to forget them. Don't make me remember," Madara sighed.

"I'm sorry, I shouldn't have said that, making you recall painful memories," Cat Fairy said apologetically.

"Never say sorry to me. I owe you more than I can repay. If there's one person I would give my life for, it's you," Madara opened his eyes, reached out to hug Cat Fairy, and gently stroked her smooth fur, speaking softly.

"Madara!" Cat Fairy's emerald eyes stared at him intently, pressing her ear to his chest, listening to his heartbeat, feeling a strange emotion she couldn't quite name.

Though she didn't know what it was, it was more than just a bond. It was a feeling she had never experienced before.

Under the starry night sky, the man and the cat embraced and fell asleep, their hearts tightly connected. To both of them, the other was everything, and they would give everything, including their lives, for each other.