Chapter 175

Humans are incredibly fascinating creatures. When faced with a problem, their instinct is to seek advice from others. They don't mind whether the person they ask understands the issue or not; they simply want someone to talk to. And so, Madara sought out Hitoshi.

"Do I kill you, or do I kill you?" Hitoshi floated angrily in the desert of Kaze no Kuni, addressing Madara.

Madara, still clad in a Tobi battle suit, connected to the Demonic Statue of the Outer Path, ready for battle. "I don't want to fight. I just want to have a conversation," he replied calmly.

Madara's words only served to infuriate Hitoshi further, eliciting a bitter laugh. "You don't want to fight? You say that, yet you bring this massive thing to attack my Sunagakure," Hitoshi retorted, his anger escalating beyond the usual.

That morning, Hitoshi had finished breakfast and set off to work, conversing with Pakura in high spirits. Suddenly, a loud noise pierced the sky as a cannonball infused with five escapes and Yin-Yang Chakra hurtled towards them. Thanks to Hitoshi's quick reflexes and formidable strength, he managed to intercept it. Otherwise, Sunagakure would have been decimated.

Hitoshi was well aware of the devastating power of that Chakra Ball. While he could protect himself and survive, the same could not be said for the rest of Sunagakure's residents. This was the source of his anger. He had treated Madara with hospitality and generosity, allowing him to reside in Sunagakure, but now Madara had returned and attacked them with the Demonic Statue of the Outer Path. It seemed that Madara's intention was to exterminate his enemies.

"If I hadn't stopped it..." Hitoshi began, his voice trailing off.

Madara, sensing the rhetorical question, did not provide an answer. He knew Hitoshi was more than capable of intercepting the attack, which was why he had come here in the first place.

Observing Madara's silence, Hitoshi grew impatient. "Enough with the small talk. Do you have any final words? After you speak, I will personally send you off, and this time, I won't spare you," Hitoshi said curtly, no longer interested in idle chatter.

Having heard Hitoshi's words, Madara didn't dwell on the matter. He spoke directly, "During my journey through the Five Great Countries, I discovered that Shinōbi and Daimyo represent two distinct statuses. I want to know why."

Hitoshi was taken aback, surprised by the complexity of Madara's question. "Why do you ask such a question? Have you lost your mind?" he responded, puzzled by the inquiry.

"Why? Don't you know?" Madara expressed his disappointment, realizing that Hitoshi was unaware of the answer.

"No, I know, I just didn't think about how to articulate it. I genuinely want to know why you're asking," Hitoshi interrupted, clarifying that he did possess some knowledge but was curious about Madara's perspective.

"In the past, I had a conflict with Hashirama. I firmly believed that either Shinōbi or ordinary people should be eliminated. Hashirama, however, chose a path of peace, where Shinōbi govern Shinōbi and ordinary people govern ordinary people. This gave rise to the one country, one village system we see today. But as you can see, the cycle of war persists. It has merely transitioned from inter-clan conflicts to village conflicts. I couldn't help but wonder if peace could be achieved by removing Chakra entirely from the Shinōbi World. Now, as I travel through the Five Great Countries, I observe that Shinōbi governance surpasses that of Daimyo," Madara explained, sharing his thoughts and his mental journey spanning several decades.

Madara deliberately omitted any mention of Uchiha or Black Zetsu while recounting his story to Hitoshi, who played his role as a listener perfectly, absorbing every word without interruption.

However, Hitoshi knew that Madara was still perplexed, struggling to fully comprehend the complexities of the situation. With a deep breath, Hitoshi continued, "The problem lies not with Shinōbi or Daimyo themselves, but with the class system."

Upon hearing Hitoshi's words, Madara felt puzzled. "Class system?" he questioned.

"In the Shinōbi World, there are two types of people: ordinary individuals and Shinōbi. Ordinary individuals are further divided into two classes: commoners and nobles. The nobles, treating the commoners as less than human, relentlessly exploit them. However, in the eyes of the Shinōbi, both the people and the nobles are equal. When clans gather to manipulate the Shinōbi, the people won't, and they provide benefits to the Shinōbi. Do you understand?" Hitoshi explained, unraveling the intricacies with care.

Although Hitoshi attempted to elucidate the matter, he knew that Madara was still confused, albeit grasping a sliver of understanding, albeit misconstrued.

"Uchiha Madara, you are only suited to be a military force deterrent, not a leader. As a leader, your intentions are far from virtuous," Hitoshi stated candidly.

Madara's lips twitched, realizing that Hitoshi had struck a nerve. "You've made it abundantly clear. Despite my efforts to explain everything, I've been slapped in the face. You've laid it all out so plainly, leaving me with no shred of dignity," Madara thought, but he refrained from arguing. In his eyes, Hitoshi was the astute ruler who had brought prosperity to Sunagakure, and as someone capable of governing, he had to accept the assessment.

Finally, when Hitoshi's purple Chakra began to emanate, and he poised his knife to unleash a powerful attack, Madara asked, "What are your thoughts on Hashirama?"

"Senju Hashirama is no different from you. He possesses exceptional strength and governing abilities, but he is unfit to be a leader. Without Senju Tobirama, Konoha would be lost. Why not let the people choose? Why not let you become the First Hokage?" Hitoshi evaluated Hashirama without hesitation, believing that Madara's decisive nature would have been better suited to unify the Shinōbi World, abandoning the flawed one village, one country system and preventing the division of the Bijū among the four nations.

If all nine Bijū were under Konoha's control, the other Hidden Villages would be deterred from making any moves, and the outbreak of war in the Shinōbi World would be delayed.

At this point, Hashirama's death would not have immediately sparked conflict, as Madara foresaw.

Taking a deep breath, Madara finally understood.