Chapter 366: Tobirama: Added Something Extra
A few minutes later, Senju Hashirama and Uchiha Madara appeared in the cabin's bathroom, standing face to face under the showers.
The bathroom was designed in a rather peculiar way, almost like two people squatting side by side in a shared gaming session, two showerheads inexplicably installed opposite each other on the walls.
It felt as if it had been deliberately set up for two people.
Hashirama and Madara, however, were not taking any kind of "romantic shared bath."
As mentioned before, with bodies revived through Impure World Reincarnation, their clothes are part of their bodies. Even if torn, they would regenerate along with the body itself due to the technique's properties.
So the two of them were essentially just standing there in full armor.
Rather than bathing, it was more like rinsing off.
During this rinse, Hashirama began trying to persuade Madara to give up the Infinite Tsukuyomi plan.
"You even know that term now. Was it another version of me who told you, or…"
"Neither. Madara, do you know this?"
"What you saw on the stone tablet was altered by someone. And you keep calling me naive, when in fact, you're the truly naive one, so easily trusting others!"
"Stop this, Madara. The outside world is already full of Ōtsutsuki."
Hashirama spoke earnestly, trying his best to reason with him.
"Altered? Who altered it?"
"Black Zetsu."
"…Ridiculous. Black Zetsu is something I created. How could it possibly go back to before its own creation to alter the tablet?"
"Because you didn't create it at all. It was created by Ōtsutsuki Kaguya. You're just a tool it used to revive its 'mother'!"
"Impossible. Absolutely impossible! Unless you bring Black Zetsu here to confront me face to face!"
"…."
At this point, Madara finally revealed his true intention.
He wanted to trick Hashirama into helping him contact Black Zetsu or Obito.
As for what Hashirama said, Madara heard it, but didn't believe a single word.
After all, if he could deceive Hashirama, others could deceive him as well.
"Black Zetsu worked with us for a long time. But after the last Ōtsutsuki incident, something felt off. It hasn't shown up for a long time now. It might be gone."
Hashirama didn't know much about Black Zetsu's situation, he had only vaguely heard things like that.
Gone?
Madara felt like laughing out of sheer frustration.
"Hashirama, you're still trying to deceive me?"
Madara questioned him sharply.
Black Zetsu was born from his Yin-Yang Release, a manifestation of his will. How could it possibly cooperate with someone like Hashirama, that fool?
And what was this "might be gone"?
Gone means gone, what does "might be gone" even mean?
That kind of vague wording was clearly a slip-up from an honest man like Hashirama, who simply wasn't good at lying.
"I'm really not lying, Madara! Believe me!"
Hashirama looked utterly aggrieved.
He was telling the truth, so why wouldn't Madara believe him?
"Hashirama, you're terrible at lying. Just obediently help me summon Black Zetsu. Let me give it a few instructions, and after that, whatever you want to do, I'll help you with it."
Madara's tone carried a hint of manipulation.
"I may not be good at lying, but didn't I still trick you at the Valley of the End? And then stabbed you to death?"
"…"
"You prepared Izanagi in advance to fake your death and escape. Doesn't that prove that deep down, you already knew you weren't my opponent? Otherwise, with your personality, why would you make such preparations?"
"…"
Madara hadn't expected Hashirama to know even that.
When he first heard the earlier remark, he had almost blurted out that he had intentionally faked his death.
Fortunately, he caught himself in time and swallowed the words.
But he hadn't expected that Hashirama already knew.
And listen to what he was saying now.
Was this really something an "honest man" would say?
This was clearly someone calculating beneath the surface.
A wolf in sheep's clothing.
"Madara, just give up. You've already been abandoned by everyone again, hm? Why did I say 'again'?"
Hashirama put on a deliberately clueless expression.
"…."
Why did you say "again"? Don't you have any idea yourself?
"Anyway, Madara, it doesn't matter who you turn to. Even if Black Zetsu is still alive, it represents Ōtsutsuki Kaguya's will, it won't listen to you."
"And that masked man? He won't help you either. He's just using your name for convenience."
"He wants to become the next Sage of Six Paths himself!"
"As for the White Zetsu, that goes without saying, they used to follow Black Zetsu, and now they follow Shiromo."
"And the Rinnegan you left behind."
"Didn't you notice? That child, Nagato, was there just now."
"He has already completely mastered your Rinnegan, he can even use Limbo."
"You have no allies left. The only one left is me, your old friend."
"We're both already dead. I've let go of the grudges of the past. Why can't you let go?"
"Do you still think you can reclaim everything with this body?"
"How much effort did it take you just to kill a few bandits earlier?"
"With this Impure World Reincarnation body, you'd struggle just to climb onto a heated brick bed. Stop thinking about all this."
"Why not just enjoy the feeling of seeing the world again, and leave everything to the next generation?"
Hashirama poured out everything he had, using every ounce of persuasion he possessed.
And surprisingly, it actually had some effect.
Madara wanted to question him, but what shocked him was that Hashirama seemed to know everything.
Even about the Rinnegan, and that he had transplanted it into Nagato!
As for Nagato being there earlier?
Well… he hadn't noticed that at all.
First, his sensory abilities were currently terrible, basically nonexistent.
Second, when he first opened his eyes, all he saw was Hashirama and Tobirama.
Third, when he finally tried to look at others, Hashirama had already started spraying nonsense at him, blocking his view.
Just as Madara fell silent, thinking about how much of Hashirama's words he could trust, he suddenly noticed a change in his body.
Originally, with his sensory abilities crippled, he couldn't feel any changes in his Impure World Reincarnation body.
Earlier, he had even walked around for quite a while covered in filth before realizing it.
But now…
He could actually feel something, "heat."
He was standing under the shower, being rinsed. For a living person, feeling heat would be completely normal.
But he was in an Impure World Reincarnation body, he shouldn't be able to feel anything at all!
"Hashirama, what exactly did that guy Tobirama do to my Impure World Reincarnation body?! What did he put inside me?!"
Madara grabbed Hashirama's shoulder with a trembling hand, his eyes filled with anger and despair.
"I, I don't know! Tobirama promised me he wouldn't lay a hand on you after reviving you!"
Hashirama was also stunned.
For a moment, he couldn't even tell whether Madara was genuinely in trouble or just acting.
Seeing the pained expression on Madara's face, Hashirama rushed out of the bathroom. He found a communication device in the hallway and quickly contacted the lab, reaching his younger brother Tobirama.
"Tobirama, what exactly did you…"
"Don't worry, I added medicine."
Before his elder brother could finish the question, Tobirama interrupted and gave his answer.
"Tobirama, stop joking. That kind of thing wouldn't work on an Impure World Reincarnation body. What did you actually do?!"
Hashirama froze for a moment, then quickly realized what he meant.
(End of this chapter)