Prologue-The Final Farewell

As Madara lay dying, he sensed a familiar presence approaching him.

Is that you...Hashirama?" Madara questioned his former best friend.

"Yes." he responded. Hashirama knelt down on one knee as he began his final conversation with Madara. His eyes were full of sadness as he started to listen.

"I guess that...neither you, nor I were able to achieve...what we wanted." Madara struggled to speak. Even now, he could feel death slowly creeping through him.

"It's never that easy. Our job is merely to do all that we can do while we're alive, and then bequeath the rest of it for future generations to accomplish."

"You are so naive...just as you usually are." he chuckled.

"And you have always been the optimist. Although, perhaps that is the proper way to be. That dream that I had, has been squashed. But your dream, is still relevant now, and it continues to live on.

"We were both too hasty. We didn't need to reach our dreams ourselves, it was far more important to cultivate those who would come after us to whom we could entrust our dreams."

"Which means I would have failed anyway. After all, I have always hated having somebody standing behind me."

"When we were just kids, you once said to me "We are shinobi after all. We never know when we might die, and you also told me that for neither side to die, both of them would have to reveal what's inside of themselves, hiding nothing at all, and to drink together as if they were brothers."

Hashirama paused before continuing.

"But the both of us are about to die. So right now, we have the chance to drink together as war buddies." He finished

"As war buddies...huh...well then, I suppose that...would be okay...by..." He was never able to finish as his eyes closed for the last time.

But now, he could finally rest. He could finally be able to see his family again, Izuna again. But that was only wishful thinking. He knew that he would not be able to see them. He would be sent straight to Hell for what he had done. He knew this for a fact, but he did not fear this. He knew what he had done was wrong and that a monster such as him didn't even deserve to exist. All Madara could do as he was slowly carried up was wait...

Only...when Madara opened his eyes, he did not see the burning landscape of hell he had expected. Instead, all he saw was black. He was in a endless void. True Limbo.

"How ironic" he muttered to himself.

Madara got up from where he was laying and began wondering around. He pondered if he would spend the rest of his pitiful existence here.

"How interesting. To think that this would be my fate."

And so he sat there, thinking about what he could've done if he had not chosen to listen to Black Zetsu.

"That Bastard." Madara growled. Of only he hadn't let his pride get the better of him. Then none of this would have happened. Sadly however, he had been fooled by Black Zetsu. All he wanted was to create true peace, to create a world where no one had to lose anything precious to them ever again. Madara wanted to make a perfect world. But he had been a fool. And now he was paying the price for it.

Was this his punishment? Eternal darkness? He had never expected this, but who could've? As he continued to wonder, he lost track of time. Eventually he had forgot how long it had been since he had arrived. All he could do was think.

However, eventually something strange happened in that place. As Madara was thinking to himself, completely and utterly absorbed in his thoughts, a light started to appear. It was barely noticeable at first, but it steadily grew until it was shining brightly, illuminating the darkness that surrounded it.

It was only then that Madara sensed it. He turned around and was shocked. He did not know how long he had spent in this limbo, but this was the first time he had seen something other than total darkness.

Slowly but surely, he reached out to it, it's light illuminating his arm. It was only then that he looked himself over. Now that he had light, he could finally make out what he was wearing. He was missing his shirt along with the face on the left side of his chest. Besides missing his shirt, he still had his pants and boots along with his bandaged thighs and gloves. The same clothing he had been wearing when he died.

Now then, after that brief look over of himself, he looked towards the light again. It was the size of a lantern and hung in the air as if gravity did not apply to it.

Slowly, Madara reached out to it. As it touched it, he felt a sudden need to pull it open and climb through. He gave into the urge and pulled with both of his hands. Surprisingly, it started to open, and eventually it was large enough for him to walk into. Looking at it, he made up his mind the enter into it; whatever was on the other side must be better than this void. The moment he stepped into the light, he was engulfed by it, and then, there was nothing...