Madara no Tetsugaku -マダラの哲学-
(The Philosophy of Madara)
INTRODUCTION : The Philosophy of Madara
-PART ONE-
Around 70 years ago, the ninja world was revolutionised by two towering figures in world history. They were regarded as living gods, transcending the previously accepted limits of the ninja world.
Their names were Hashirama Senju and Madara Uchiha.
It is said that before they appeared, no ninja villages existed. The ninjas were divided into clans. Each clan comprised people who shared the same ancestors and genetic heritage. In short, the ninja world was divided into families.
Why all these divisions? Couldn't they simply coexist? Some managed to live together, yes. But it was always only for a short while. The Clans couldn't get along, and they were constantly at war with one another.
War is truly the scourge of ninjas. A scourge that was lessened thanks to the arrival of these two heroes, who succeeded, for the first time in human history, in bringing the military factions to an understanding.
They both came from the two most powerful ninja clans of the time. Hashirama Senju was the son of Butsuma Senju, the leader of the Senju clan. Madara Uchiha, for his part, was the son of Tajima Uchiha, leader of the Uchiha clan.
The Uchiha and Senju clans fought each other for hundreds of years. One might even go so far as to call them the two greatest rival clans in history. But then, a few years after Hashirama Senju and Madara Uchiha came to power, succeeding their late fathers, they were the first to unite.
The Uchiha and Senju clans went on to form Konoha, the Leaf Village, which became part of the Land of Fire. Konoha was, in fact, the very first ninja village to emerge on the continent. Little by little, it gradually expanded, bringing together a large number of ninja clans from across the world who came to settle in the village in the Land of Fire.
Furthermore, a few years later, other clans came together to confront the growing threat posed by Konoha, thereby forming new ninja villages.
Among them, the most significant include Uzushio, affiliated with the Land of Whirlpools; Kiri, affiliated with the Land of Water; Ame, affiliated with the Land of Rain; Suna, affiliated with the Land of Wind; Kumo, affiliated with the Land of Lightning; and finally, Iwa, affiliated with the Land of Earth.
There were, of course, many others besides, too numerous to mention, and who, for reasons that will become clearer to you later, have been forgotten.
Of course, when several powerful ninja villages are neighbours, things are never straightforward. Tensions were no less intense than before; it was simply that each village's strength ensured a temporary peace through deterrence.
The founding of Konoha had thus brought about a true era of peace, thanks to the efforts of Hashirama Senju and Madara Uchiha. However, this peace was not lasting. One might even go so far as to say it was merely illusory.
Ninjas were the very embodiment of society's violence. As long as this military force remained, there would always be war. But if it were to disappear, there would be no more deterrence.
Thus, as soon as a force greater than the others emerged, it would dominate them through violence. But who would simply stand by and let that happen? So let us respond to violence with violence. And from this arose an endless cycle. A cycle of hatred, but above all, of vengeance.
The problem, then, was not the ninjas themselves. If they were to disappear, other forms of violence would take their place, just as the apostles or the samurai once ran rampant.
The problem was the human race.
As long as human society endured, there would be violence; there would be wars. This violence... seemed to be innate in human beings. So, yes, the problem was humanity itself.
What could be done? How could we escape this scourge? Should we simply let things be? Should we eradicate humanity? Another solution might have been to subject humanity to an authority that would prevent them from committing the slightest transgression.
However, this posed numerous problems. For a start, how could one guarantee the objectivity of the master who would rule over them? He might serve only his own interests, corrupted by power, and act arbitrarily. And then, after all, no man was objective. And all were driven by violence, so none could gain the upper hand over the others.
Would an external authority therefore be required? One that was objective by virtue of its non-human nature? This is where religion was born. God, an all-powerful being, the absolute master of wisdom, benevolence and intelligence. This idea of loving one's neighbour, of being obliged to help others in order to gain entry to paradise, a utopian place where happiness abounded...
Was false, of course. But this invention served to curb human violence, whilst still allowing for a form of happiness through hope.
It didn't work. Some clans began killing in the name of their religion. This notion of religious fanaticism arose from the worship of the god Jashin. A god who demanded human sacrifices in exchange for his gifts.
Religion brought a temporary peace, which turned into all-out war. Violence reached levels never seen before. Why? Because people started creating their own religions to manipulate one another.
In short, up to that point, no solution to curb human violence had worked. And for good reason: man had become too intelligent; he could no longer be manipulated by any form of authority.
So, if authority wasn't the solution, what was? That's when an idea emerged. It arose following the era created by Hashirama Senju and Madara Uchiha.
By enabling the creation of a village bringing together individuals from diverse cultures, the aim was not to deter the enemy from attacking, nor to dominate them. No. And it was not merely the idea of wanting to create a temporary peace.
Konoha was born out of a quest for happiness.
A world where ninjas were no longer a military force constantly at war, but simply people, living a good life, flourishing to the fullest.
The creation of the academy, roles tailored to each person's desires and abilities, the development of history, literature...
This united, well-structured human society could never have functioned without that mad quest for happiness for all. That was the goal of Hashirama Senju and Madara Uchiha.
The aim was simple: eventually, all the ninja clans would join Konoha, thus forming a perfect alliance, where all yesterday's enemies would coexist in joy and harmony.
In this way, this alliance would put an end to wars, for more ninjas means more military forces, and therefore more violence.
There you have it: everything was perfect in the best of all possible worlds.
Unfortunately, if you've been following this story closely, you know full well that this idea… is profoundly naive.
Hashirama Senju became the First Hokage, leader of the village of Konoha, because to unite the people, they first needed an idol, a leader to look up to. He was the perfect embodiment of this. Extremely powerful, charismatic, intelligent and benevolent. A living god. It was this, in particular, that earned him the nickname 'God of the Ninja World'.
It was hard to hate Hashirama Senju when you were as naive as he was. But for a man who knew everything I've just said, following this man was deluding oneself.
All of this was originally just the plan of two kids. But one had continued down this childish path, whilst the other had matured, after methodically analysing the man's tragic history.
Madara Uchiha.
What you are reading here is his entire way of thinking. His entire philosophy. My philosophy.
Yes, I am Madara Uchiha.
📖To be Continued...📖