Naruto: Starting as the Third Hokage with Tears in His Eyes

Surprisingly, Madara Uchiha was not angry.

He even nodded in agreement.

"White Hair... is right."

In the final moments of his life, his eyes sharpened once more.

He looked at Hashirama and said in a deep voice, "Hashirama... my eyes..."

Everyone held their breath.

Fugaku Uchiha's heart skipped a beat.

Eyes? Those Rinnegan?!

"Hiruzen's philosophy is very interesting..."

Ban's breathing became rapid, but he still insisted on finishing his sentence, "Peace cannot be achieved by one person alone. These eyes... perhaps... can contribute to the peace he speaks of."

"It should not be taken into the coffin and become dust."

Amidst the utterly shocked gazes of everyone, Madara Uchiha, the man who had stirred up the entire ninja world, used his last strength to raise his trembling hand.

He made a move that caught everyone present, including Tobirama Senju, completely off guard.

He personally removed the Rinnegan, which contained world-destroying power, from his eye sockets.

Those purple eyes, covered with mysterious concentric circles, lay quietly in his palm like two perfect gems.

He reached out his hand, trembling, towards Hashirama Senju.

"Hashirama... here you go."

At that moment, time seemed to stand still.

As Hashirama Senju looked into those eyes, and then at Madara's bloodless face, an overwhelming sadness instantly overwhelmed him.

He reached out his hand, but his movements seemed to be a thousand times slower.

When his palm, brimming with life energy, touched Madara's cold, bony fingers, and when the two still-warm Rinnegan eyes fell into his palm, the two reformers of the ninja world completed their entrustment, transcending a lifetime of hatred and friendship.

"Tell him..."

After surrendering the Rinnegan, Madara Uchiha's aura was barely perceptible, and his vision was plunged into darkness, but he could almost see Hashirama's face, which was about to cry.

"Don't... do what I did..."

"I...can...get some rest...now..."

With his last bit of strength, he managed to squeeze out a few broken words.

He glanced one last time in Hashirama's direction, and in the darkness, he clearly saw the babbling waters of the Naka River from his childhood, and a long, straight black-haired girl waving at him with a silly grin.

so good.

A faint, yet incredibly relieved smile appeared on Madara Uchiha's lips.

His head slowly tilted to one side.

There was no sound at all.

The room was deathly silent.

Hashirama Senju knelt there, clutching the two Rinnegan, speechless for a long time. A scalding tear fell onto the tatami mat, spreading a small, dark stain.

Tobirama Senju closed his eyes, and after a long while, he let out a barely audible sigh from his nose.

The era of Madara Uchiha has ended.

From the shadows, the sobs that had been suppressed for so long finally broke out, rising softly.

A legend who stirred up the ninja world and was revered, feared, hated, and worshipped by countless people throughout his life has come to an end.

for a long time.

Hashirama Senju slowly opened his palms.

The two Rinnegan lay quietly in his palm, their chakra bindings, though without their master, still radiated a terrifyingly immense power.

As Hashirama sensed that vast power of vision that seemed to see through the three realms and six paths and understand the cycle of all things, he subconsciously raised his head, no longer focusing his gaze on anything in front of him.

His gaze seemed to pierce through layers of walls, through the barrier of the Uchiha ancestral land, and across the bustling streets of Konoha, reaching the other side of the village.

A boy with striking red hair.

Hashirama gripped the Rinnegan tightly in his hand. What kind of story would unfold with the inheritance of these eyes?