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Madara Uchiha and Hashirama Senju are two paramount characters in Naruto. Yearning for peace, Madara and Hashirama reached an agreement to put an end to the Warring States Period, which led to the establishment of the Hidden Leaf. However, they ended up fighting for control over the village.
After a tremendous battle, Hashirama overpowered Madara, seemingly killing him. In truth, the Uchiha had used Izanagi to rewrite his own death. He went into hiding, and started working on the "Eye of the Moon" plan, whose consequences would change the ninja world in the years to come.
Madara Uchiha's five best quotes in Naruto
1) Only an infinite dream can bring peace to the world
"The selfish desire of wanting to maintain peace causes wars and hatred is born to protect love."
Madara ended up believing that humanity was stranded, incapable of escaping its conflictual nature. Whether because of greed, vengeance, or simply fear, humans just can't avoid fighting each other.
Under this belief, Madara devised the "Eye of the Moon" plan to cast the Infinite Tsukuyomi all over the world, stopping wars and bloodshed. Dormant in the genjutsu, humanity would thereby achieve peace, although an illusory one.
Madara wasn't just acting out of resentment, as peace was the dream he and Hashirama had shared since their childhood. In Madara's opinion, ensnaring everyone in an artificial reality was the only option to stop people's tendency to fight over conflicting interests.
2) Humans are doomed to hurt each other
"The longer you live the more you realise reality is just made of pain, suffering, and emptiness. In this world, whenever there is light, there are also shadows. As long as winners exist, there must also be losers."
A man who grew up on the battlefield, Madara witnessed people killing each other since his childhood. This led him to believe that humans could never live together in peace, as the mere concept of someone obtaining victory would imply that another person lost. Thus, there would always be people displeased, inevitably giving rise to conflicts and wars.
To break this circle, Madara started working on his plan. Understanding that he could not complete it within the boundaries of his natural lifespan, he manipulated Obito to work for him.
Setting up Rin's death, Madara destroyed Obito's will, captivating him to his side. As such, the young Uchiha faithfully carried out the former's plan, taking control of the Akatsuki organization. Stirred by Naruto and Kakashi's words, however, Obito eventually reneged on Madara's beliefs.
3) The savior of the word
"I just stopped the fate of this world. I freed people from pain, suffering, emptiness. Naruto… You're getting in the way of everyone's happiness. I turned hell into heaven."
Madara eventually realized his plan, developing the Rinnesharingan and using it to cast the Infinite Tsukuyomi. He thereby enveloped the entire world in a penetrating light, which subjugated every living being in a neverending dream.
The Uchiha leader genuinely believed the Infinite Tsukuyomi to be the only way to erase people's senseless misery. However, Naruto and his friends stood against the former, firmly contesting his views.
Living in an illusionary world without suffering seems appealing, but it degrades human nature, as, without experiencing sadness, it wouldn't be possible to properly appreciate happiness.
Of an entirely different opinion, Madara announced himself as the world's savior. He believed to be the one who spared people from sorrow, replacing the hells of reality with the heavens of dreams.
Sadly for him, Madara didn't know that Black Zetsu had altered the Uchiha Stone Tablet to manipulate him into unintentionally working to foster Kaguya Otsutsuki's revival.
4) A convoluted plan
"In order to control people, you need to use the darkness in their hearts. And if there's no darkness, then you just create it…"
Already marked by the death of his brother, Izuna, killed in battle by Tobirama, Madara fully succumbed to the Uchiha's Curse of Hatred as the inhabitants of the Hidden Leaf Village, including the members of his own clan, started being at odds with his methods.
Despite Hashirama's attempts to solve the issue, Madara attacked the Leaf. In the ensuing clash, he lost to the Hashirama but still managed to escape death and steal the First Hokage's DNA, which he would use to eventually awaken the Rinnegan.
Feeling that his mortal life was about to conclude, Madara transplanted his Rinnegan into Nagato, intending the boy to use that eye power to revive him. To rig Nagato into doing such a thing, Madara found a suitable pawn in Obito.
To corrupt his mind, he staged everything so that Obito would see Rin, the girl he loved, dying at the hands of Kakashi, his friend. Such a sight threw the pure-hearted Obito into despair, convincing him to embrace Madara's "Eye of the Moon" plan.
5) The last scuffle
"While I walk towards my real dream, I'll enjoy fighting you..."
Upon reading the Uchiha Stone Tablet, Madara, unaware that Black Zetsu had altered the text, made up his mind. He defected on the Hidden Leaf and started working on this "Eye of the Moon" plan.
Even though his showdown with Hashirama at the Valley of the End was mostly aimed at obtaining the former's DNA, which was needed to obtain the Rinnegan, Madara couldn't help but enjoy a final battle with his long-life rival.
Madara had scheduled Izanagi to activate sometime after his eventual death and bring him back to life. Still, he was delighted at clashing with Hashirama, the opponent he hated but also deeply respected.
Hashirama Senju's five best quotes in Naruto
1) A sad truth
"Whenever you live, there will always be war."
Under Sasuke's request, Orochimaru reincarnated the first four Hokage, including Hashirama. Sasuke immediately asked the Hokage about the history of the Hidden Leaf, especially regarding the Uchiha clan.
The conversation enabled Hashirama and the others to learn the developments of events after their death, including the recent outbreak of the Fourth Ninja War, as well as Madara's unexpected resurgence.
Despite being powerful enough to easily break free from Orochimaru's jutsu, Hashirama decided to accept Sasuke's demand for knowledge, and resolved to intervene in the conflict. The First Hokage also sadly remarked how, no matter which era, war would always torment the world.
2) The heartfelt "Will of Fire"
"The fellow countrymen of the Konoha make up each part of my body… those of the village believe in me, and I believe in them… That's what it means to be Hokage!"
Since its foundation, Hashirama became totally devoted to the Hidden Leaf, as the shinobi village was the realization of his childhood dream, as well as Madara's.
Hashirama encouraged all the inhabitants of the Hidden Leaf to regard every fellow villager as part of one single family. He conceived his Hokage role as defined by the duty to protect that large family at any cost, including his own life.
Even decades after his death, Hashirama's ethos would remain a guiding light for the Hidden Leaf. Called "Will of Fire," this philosophy shaped and led the behaviors of many of the village's greatest ninjas, who never hesitated to sacrifice themselves for the Hidden Leaf's sake.
3) The hardships of life change people
"Shinobi are people who endure to achieve their goals… but depending on what they choose as their goal they change… like Madara and I."
Hashirama and Madara deeply respected themselves. Still, as the leaders of their respective clans, they spent a large part of their lives fighting each other. Eventually, they managed to rekindle their childhood friendship by reaching a deal to stop war and converge together in a single village. Even though they allegedly realized their biggest dream, their goals eventually changed.
When Madara stormed the Hidden Leaf, Hashirama, although with much sadness, resolved to kill him to protect the village. Hashirama still considered Madara his friend but didn't waver in his decision to slay him in order to protect the very thing they created together.
Heartbroken but steadfast, Hashirama remembered this sad moment as he was narrating the village's history to Sasuke.
4) A dream for the future
"I dream of a time when all shinobi will cooperate with each other… A time when everyone's hearts will be together regardless of their countries. That's my dream for the future."
Despite his insane combat prowess, Hashirama was a man of peace. He was even ready to kill himself as long as that would bring peace between Uchiha and Senju, enabling the rise of a world where people, especially children, wouldn't need to die pointlessly.
Wherever possible, Hashirama always tried to employ non-violent means. Kind and humble, he lowered his head to the Kage of other villages, aiming to create peace through dialogue, even though he could easily overwhelm them with his superior might.
Hashirama's dream of a world where ninjas of different nations would cooperate came to realization posthumously through the Shinobi Alliance, whose establishment ensured an unprecedented degree of peace even in the years to come.
5) No mercy for the village's enemies, whoever they might be
"No matter what happens I will protect our… no my village. I still believe that it's the best way to protect people, shinobi, and children! Anyone who tries to harm it, whether they are my friends, siblings or my own children… I won't forgive them!"
After defecting from the Hidden Leaf, Madara attacked it several times, but Hashirama always thwarted his attempts. In all likelihood, he only used the strength needed to overpower Madara without going as far as killing him.
However, when Madara brought the Nine Tails under his control and combined it with his Perfect Susanoo, his menace became too big to be allowed a further bid. As such, Hashirama used Sage Mode to amp his Wood Release, unleashing a tremendous power output that overwhelmed Madara's.
Their fight devastated and changed the landscape, generating what would later become known as the Valley of the End. Hashirama made a last attempt to reason with Madara but to no avail. Hence, he flanked his former friend and stabbed him fatally.
Before "dying" - as he had already planned to survive via Izanagi - Madara noted how much Hashirama had changed, as, if that was needed to protect the Leaf, he would now mercilessly kill anyone.
Final thoughts: How Madara and Hashirama were reconciled in Naruto
Madara and Hashirama were both revived during the Fourth Ninja War. The former tried to carry on his plans, while the latter stood in his way once again. Upon seizing the power of the Ten Tails, Madara came close to achieving his goal, but his schemes were foiled for a variety of reasons.
Ultimately, Madara realized the mistakes of his ideas and had a final clarification with Hashirama. In one of the most touching moments in the entire Naruto series, the two legendary ninjas talked it out before disappearing forever.
Deadly enemies and simultaneously childhood friends, the two discussed their respective ideologies and dreams, with Madara noting that his own was proven wrong and defeated while Hashirama's lived on.
Smiling sorrowfully, Hashirama offered his friendship to Madara once more, but the latter exhaled his last breath before being able to answer. Shortly after, Hashirama left the world, too, as the Sage of Six Paths released him and all of the other resurrected Kage back to the Pure Land.
