Welcome back for another chapter! I hope you enjoy(:

Disclaimer: Naruto does not belong to me.

Chapter 4: The Ultimate Dream

Madara slowly strolled the streets of Konoha with his gloved hands shoved into his pockets, on his way to the Uchiha district after pretty much spending the majority of the day with Hashirama. He kept his head tilted downwards to avoid eye contact with any passersby, lost in thought.

He didn't expect to spend this much time with Hashirama so soon after getting drinks the night before. It felt… good. The thought of Hashirama made his chest flutter. But he always had to remind himself that moments like these were fleeting. Good things never last for Madara, almost as if he was destined for darkness. Hashirama has his own life after all and probably doesn't have enough time for him.

As Madara entered the Uchiha district, he noticed something felt… off. He could usually tell when something wasn't right. There was a shift in the Uchiha compound that made him feel uneasy, but he couldn't quite put his finger on it. He kept walking, now paying more attention to the environment around him. Things looked the same, and there were no suspicious people around him that he could see or sense.

He attempted to ease his suspicions until he started walking towards a building, a hall where the Uchiha usually held events. The lights were on, which was weird because Madara didn't know of any events going on that night. He concealed his chakra and slowly edged towards the front door, sensing multiple Uchiha clansmen in the hall. The voices of the men were muffled, making it difficult for Madara to make out any of the words. He pressed his ear against the door for a better listen.

"We need to think about what's best for the Uchiha clan moving forward," one man said.

Madara could tell this voice belonged to one of the clan's top representatives. Madara continued to listen quietly to the conversation occurring in the hall.

"Agreed, and having a strong, clear-minded, selfless leader is critical for maintaining peace within the Uchiha clan and preventing more devastating conflict with other clans," another man added.

"Madara Uchiha will only bring more trouble to the Uchiha clan."

"Mmm," everyone in the room hummed in agreement.

Madara's eyes narrowed as he listened. So, is that what they truly believe?

"It was bad with Lord Izuna around. We were always led into battles, day after day, that ended in grave loss despite opposition from many clansmen. Now that Lord Izuna is dead, and we have made progress in achieving peace, Lord Madara wants to ruin that—"

The front door swung open and slammed against the nearby wall, revealing an angry Madara standing in front of a now quiet room full of up to twenty men with gaping eyes. He was in disbelief at the blatant betrayal of his clansmen. Though he had a feeling it was coming, he didn't think they would stoop so low as to try and overthrow him. How could they do such a thing when they can't even see what's really going on?

"Lord Mad—"

"What is the meaning of this?" Madara interrupted sternly.

There was no response. The cautious men looked at each other in search of who was willing to answer and how.

Madara crossed his arms and scanned the room, waiting for a response. He then added, "Having a meeting behind the back of your leader? Surely, something is going on." His deep, stern voice cut through the tense atmosphere, sending shivers down the men's spines.

Finally, one man, who seemed to be the one leading this conversation, firmly stood up from the table. He was a young, lean man, appearing to be in his early thirties, with dark brown, short shaggy hair and a scar that ran down the side of his face. His eyes were black, and filled with resolve, refusing to yield to Madara.

"Lord Madara, forgive us but, we called this meeting to discuss the future of the Uchiha clan."

Madara raised an eyebrow. "Isamu, and you failed to invite me?"

There was a brief silence before Isamu Uchiha spoke up once again.

"To be quite honest, Lord Madara, we, the Uchiha clan, have been concerned about your leadership."

"Oh?" But Madara already knew that. He could already feel the tension rise within the clan over the past few months after he brought up his distrust in Tobirama Senju. He was concerned that Konoha would continue to be led by the Senju and push the Uchiha to the side out of mistrust. Yet, the rest of the clan did not see this. But to be so daring as to have an official meeting about it behind his back? Madara didn't appreciate.

Isamu cleared his throat, preparing for his next words. Madara could sense the slight nervousness in the man but commended him for being bold enough to stand up to him, especially given their power gap.

"The Uchiha clan believes that we are at risk of running into more conflict if we let you decide what's best for the clan," Isamu continued.

"And what makes you think things will be worse for the Uchiha under my leadership?"

"We have finally achieved some sort of peace with the Senju. We have lost too many of our clansmen in conflict and wish not to revisit that era. Ever since the loss of Lord Izu—"

"Watch what you say," Madara commanded, his voice intense and unwavering. He will never, ever let anyone speak ill of his younger brother, or bring him up in conversations he does not need to be brought up in.

The man immediately cut his train of thought, obeying Madara.

Isamu cautiously continued, "We believe it's best to continue this trail we're on with the Senju clan and Konoha. They have made efforts to keep us involved without disrespecting the power and prestige of the Uchiha clan."

Madara's eyes narrowed. "And what makes you believe this is the answer; what Konoha has done for us thus far?"

"We—"

"Do you think making us the head of the police force is a good way to give us power? To earn the respect of the villagers?"

"Yes—"

"How idiotic and naïve of you to not see how that further antagonizes us. It's an attempt to keep us in check while also putting us in a position to be hated by the villagers by our policing."

"Well Lord Mad—"

"And within the next coming years, they will further antagonize the Uchiha clan right under our noses until they push us to the brink of a revolt."

"I—"

"And you're telling me you don't foresee that?"

The room erupted into a slew of whispers as the rest of the men sitting at the table made their comments to one another.

"Silence," Isamu and Madara demanded in unison, causing the room to quickly silence.

Isamu took a brief moment to think about the next words to say. "Lord Madara… I believe that is delusional thinking; it's a way of thinking that is resistant to peace. Your leadership has led us into constant wars, and many of our men have fallen. Enough is enough."

Madara clenched his jaw. He figured they wouldn't understand. While yes, Madara did want peace sooner rather than later, he was always influenced by his younger brother, Izuna, who didn't want to yield to a truce with the Senju clan to honor the clansmen who had fallen for the sake of the Uchiha clan. After Izuna's death, Madara was defeated and finally agreed to a truce to lead the Uchiha clan toward a path of peace. Despite this, he could still sense some antagonism from Konoha's policies. This wasn't what Madara wanted for the Uchiha clan; this isn't what Izuna wanted for the clan. Madara felt like he was doing a disservice if he let Konoha's government continue to do as they pleased.

Madara didn't realize he was sinking his fingertips into his arms. He relaxed his hands and slowly opened his lips. "And what are you trying to imply?"

"We wish for you to step down as the leader of the Uchiha clan to allow someone more fitting to lead us," Isamu said firmly.

Madara could feel his heart instantly drop. Step down? For thinking ahead? For wanting what was best for the clan? Despite his inner turmoil, Madara maintained a stern expression on his face.

"Oh?" Madara said as he flared his chakra, his dark blue menacing chakra surged around him, causing the floors to rumble, and the ground around his feet cracked. His hair was blown upwards from the force of his chakra, revealing his full, threatening face.

The rest of the men quickly stood up and braced themselves. They activated their sharingans in preparation for any battle that may ensue between them and Madara. They were no fools; they were aware of the power Madara Uchiha had. He was the only man able to go head-to-head with Hashirama Senju, known to be the strongest ninja alive. If they were to fight Madara, they'd probably be wiped out instantly. However, they still stood their ground despite their slightly trembling legs.

Madara could sense the fear of his clansmen. While he could easily defeat them all, he opted not to. He didn't want to fight his clansmen, despite their betrayal. Truth is, he already saw it coming and felt like he had nothing left. He pretty much checked out a while ago.

Madara slowly relaxed his chakra, the surge slowly dissipating as his hair fell back down to the side of his face and down his back. He closed his eyes and let out a subtle sigh. He turned around and started heading towards the door.

"Do as you please, I've already given up on this hopeless clan," Madara muttered as he exited the be told, he wasn't sure if that was completely true; he still cared about his clan and was hurt by their betrayal. But it was something he had to tell himself to move on, to leave Konoha, to go after his dream.

As soon as Madara left the building, the rest of the men let out a sigh of relief and collapsed onto their chairs. They hadn't realized they were completely paralyzed by Madara's intimidating aura.

"He could've easily taken us all out if he wanted to," one man mumbled. "I thought I was about to face death."

"I can't believe he stepped down," another man added.

"We should be fortunate. That could've ended much worse," Isamu stated as he calmed his nerves.

Everyone else hummed in agreement. Soon, they straightened themselves back up and continued their discussions about the future of the Uchiha clan.

Madara found himself wandering down the streets in the Uchiha district, trying his best to contain his anger after what just ensued with the group of Uchiha men earlier. But among that anger, there was also an overwhelming sadness he couldn't quite shake off.

Originally, he was planning on going home, but now he didn't have any specific destination in mind. He just walked, and walked, surrounded by the dim lights of the streetlamps amidst the darkness of the night, the cool breeze that gently shifted his long, black hair, and the soft crunches of the gravel beneath his feet with every step he took.

Soon, Madara found himself subconsciously walking down a familiar path to a place he had been spending a lot of his time at—the Naka shrine within the Uchiha district. But there was more to the shrine than what meets the eye. No other person would be able to appreciate its significance, but the Naka shrine was where Madara sought hope. More specifically, a hidden room underneath the Naka shrine, a place where only a very select few Uchihas had access to.

As Madara arrived at the shrine, he slowly walked up the worn-down wooden steps, the surface creaking under the pressure of Madara's feet as he slowly ascended to the main entrance. Before entering, Madara turned around to check if anyone was following him, but he couldn't sense anyone's presence, prompting him to go inside.

It was pitch-black inside, and Madara had been there enough times to memorize the way to the secret room without needing light. As he walked down the hallway, he ran his gloved hand down the wooden walls, feeling every groove, every splinter, despite his gloves. He kept moving until he found a secret doorway. Madara infused the wall with chakra, causing the slow opening of a secret door accompanied by a deep rumble.

Madara stepped into another pitch-dark room and activated his fire style, lighting up a nearby torch. A cascade of torches also lit up around the room as a result, bringing dim light to the empty room that harbored nothing but a stone slab marked with writing. The walls were marked with the Uchiha crest, and a sign saying "Uchiha" hung above the sacred slab of stone.

Finally… finally Madara was met with his hope, his dream, his answer, all of which was written on the slab of stone before him—the Uchiha Stone Tablet. He had spent weeks and weeks trying to decipher it with his mangekyou sharingan, and it was quite difficult. But he felt like he was getting close to the answer.

He already had a pretty good idea of what was written—the story of the Sage of the Six Paths, shinobi history, the secrets of the sharingan and the Uchiha clan. But there was one more thing he needed to figure out to connect the dots. He knew this tablet mentioned a way to achieve true peace, but how? That's what he needs to figure out, that's his missing piece, and he has spent hours in this room trying to find it.

Madara activated his mangekyou sharingan and proceeded to decipher the tablet. He felt it. He was so close. He was so close to the answers he needed to escape this hell, to lead the world to true peace where there was no more war, children no longer had to die, families were no longer broken apart, people were no longer alone… where there was hope.

A few hours had passed while Madara was in the room. He was lost in his own little world, completely unaware of how much time had passed. Madara's eyes continuously scanned the tablet until his eyes froze at one spot and his lips parted slightly.

He whispered, "…Infinite Tsukuyomi…"

Then something in Madara snapped. He dropped to his knees and edged closer to the stone tablet, gripping the sides tightly with his gloved hands as exhilaration slowly rose inside of him as he finally put things together.

"…A dream… where everyone can live peacefully… the way they desire… the Uchiha clan can be saved… where everyone can be saved…"

A grin slowly crept onto Madara's face, followed by a brief chuckle.

"This is it…" Madara thought as he brought the palm of his gloved hand to his face and let out another brief chuckle, unable to withstand the rising joy and anticipation within him.

"This is it; this is it…" he said out loud, unable to stifle another chuckle that escaped his lips. His shoulders bounced repeatedly in coordination with his laugh.

Soon, Madara burst into loud laughter, his deep and thunderous laugh reverberated through the room. It was almost menacing; the ominous echoes of his laughter were enough to shift the air within the stifling, small room. He felt like he had just hit the jackpot, and that he was now on a solid path to salvation.

"THIS IS IT!" Madara yelled. His chilling laughter continued as his despair-plagued heart sunk deeper and deeper into the abyss that was the questionable hope promised by the stone tablet. He was so entranced by this newfound discovery that he didn't even notice the ambiguous black creature that hid stealthily in the dark upper corner of the room.

Madara abruptly stopped laughing and glued his eyes to the tablet, scanning its contents as he mumbled to himself like a madman.

"To cast the Infinite Tsukuyomi, I'll need the rinnegan. The rinnegan? How does one obtain the rinnegan—the eyes of the Sage of the Six Paths? To obtain the rinnegan… I'll need to possess both cells of the sons of Hagoromo Ōtsutsuki: Indra and Ashura. I'll need the cells of the Senju… Hashirama Senju…"

Another bout of chuckles escaped from Madara's lips. He brought his palm back to his face, spreading his fingers apart just enough to peak through with his piercing red eye. He couldn't help but get overwhelmed by the emotions rising in him, something finally other than despair and loneliness. He felt like he was ready to leave everything behind to achieve the Infinite Tsukuyomi, the ultimate dream where everyone could live a happy life, the true answer to peace that would transcend human nature. And Madara started to believe that he was… the chosen one. It didn't matter what the Uchiha clan thought of him. It didn't matter what the villagers thought of him. It didn't matter what Tobirama Senju thought of him. He was the savior.

Well of course he would be the chosen one. Who else? Who else is fully aware of the flaws of mankind and has come to realize it was hopeless for them? Who else possesses his kind of power? Who else has the eternal mangekyou sharingan? Who else has the perfect susanoo? Who else can go head-to-head with the 'God of Shinobi?' He didn't need anyone. He didn't need anyone at all. He had a mission, a goal. He will be the one to pull everyone out of the reality of this tragic world and create a new reality. He will save everyone.

For the first time in a long time, ever since his younger brother's death, Madara felt an elevated sense of hope; he felt like he had a purpose.

Madara succumbed to the intense desire to laugh again, but his laughter was quickly suppressed by a sharp pain that radiated from his side. He winced as he placed his gloved hand on his side and gently pressed down, which produced more pain. It was a large bruise he got from his spar with Hashirama earlier that evening.

Hashirama.

Madara stood up and slowly walked towards the wall. He leaned his back against the wall, slowly slid down to a seat on the floor, and let out a sigh. As he rested his head back against the wall, he started thinking about his best friend. His thoughts were filled with images of Hashirama's teasing smile, the sparkle in his deep brown eyes whenever he's excited, the pout of his lips whenever he's frustrated or embarrassed.

Madara could feel a slight grin develop as he thought about Hashirama. Through the Infinite Tsukuyomi, he could also give Hashirama his perfect reality. The grin quickly dissipated when Madara thought about how he'll probably never see him again once the ultimate genjutsu is cast since as the jutsu caster, he will be overseeing everything. But maybe that's okay… it's the price to pay for taking on the challenge to bring world peace. Madara thought things would probably never change between Hashirama and him. Madara attracted darkness, and Hashirama's light was too bright for him anyway. Madara strongly believed good things never last for him.

Madara allowed his mind to wander further, recalling a moment he had with Hashirama earlier that evening before leaving the training ground.

*Flashback starts*

"I'll see you tomorrow?"

"…Maybe," Madara said as he turned back to continue walking. He was planning on leaving the village soon after all and wasn't going to tell Hashirama.

"You said you wouldn't leave me, remember?"

Madara's eye twitched, annoyed that he'd bring that up. "So, you do remember that night?"

Hashirama nodded, "Vividly."

Madara sucked his teeth. "I only said that because your drunk ass wouldn't shut up."

"But you said it."

"Because—"

"But you said it," Hashirama interrupted, a teasing smirk spread across his face.

Madara grew annoyed; he could tell Hashirama was trying to push his buttons. "Whatever."

"So, I'll see you tomorrow?" Hashirama said, hopeful that he'd agree.

"I'll be around," Madara mumbled, finally giving in.

*Flashback ends*

A subtle smile slowly crept onto Madara's face.

"I suppose I'll stick around a little longer…," Madara whispered to himself as he felt his eyes grow heavy. As his overwhelming excitement gradually calmed down, he could feel exhaustion take over his body. He was too tired to get up and head back home. Instead, Madara let his eyes close and slowly drifted off to sleep in the dimly lit, stifling room, where he realized his dream.

Hope you enjoyed! Tune in for the next chapter ^_^