Chapter 367: Madara: A Glimmer of Hope
After the call ended, Senju Hashirama hung up the communicator, looking utterly bewildered.
"So what is it? Did you get a clear answer?"
By now, Madara had also stepped out of the bathroom. He held a towel, wiping down his armor and hair.
"I… got the answer…"
Hashirama still looked dazed.
"If you got the answer, then why do you still look so stupid? Tell me what's going on!"
Madara frowned.
"You don't even believe me. What's the point of me telling you?"
Hashirama snapped back to his senses, his expression turning aggrieved.
Honestly, Hashirama had a knack for landing counterattacks without even trying.
Though really, did this even sound like a conversation between two men?
"Just say it. Whether I believe it or not is for me to decide."
"…Alright, Madara… do you believe in gravity?"
Hashirama struggled to explain the theory they had once uncovered regarding the "pull of fate."
He started from the physical concept, how greater mass produces stronger gravity, then extended it to chakra: the greater the chakra, the stronger the pull of fate. Powerful individuals are naturally drawn to one another, and they also tend to attract followers.
He even cited extreme cases from the Limited Tsukuyomi as examples.
"Tobirama said that in the real shinobi world, the most classic example of chakra attraction is the entanglement between Asura's and Indra's chakra."
"But aside from that, it's very rare for this kind of force to truly influence someone's will."
"Even the entanglement between Asura and Indra, if that generation is strong enough, they can break free from the endless cycle."
At this point, Hashirama's expression grew complicated.
Because by that logic, he and Madara should have had a chance to break free.
"Tobirama was worried you'd make the same mistakes after being revived through Impure World Reincarnation, so he specially modified your body, made it extremely weak."
"Then he placed a kind of catalyst inside you, something that amplifies chakra attraction."
"For normal shinobi, this thing barely has any effect. But for someone as weak as you are right now…"
"And with only me nearby, a massive source of chakra…"
"A normal shinobi could metabolize it quickly, but as an Impure World Reincarnation body, you can't. Tobirama added it twice, so no matter what, you'll inevitably enter a state of attraction…"
As Hashirama spoke, Madara's expression turned increasingly terrible.
Even though Hashirama's explanation was somewhat messy, Madara pieced it together with his own intellect.
No wonder…
No wonder he had suddenly felt the urge to get close to Hashirama earlier!
Even if it had been to smear dirt onto him, that kind of behavior didn't match his logic at all!
And no wonder, despite being an Impure World Reincarnation body, he could feel "heat."
Because the effect wasn't on the body at all, it acted on chakra.
Which meant… it acted on the soul.
"Madara, don't blame Tobirama. He did this for your own good."
Seeing Madara's expression, Hashirama tried to console him.
Although Tobirama had jokingly said he had put "aphrodisiacs" inside Madara, he had clarified afterward.
It wasn't really that, at best, it was something that increased affinity between him and Hashirama.
"For my own good?"
Madara's face twisted as if he had just swallowed something foul.
If Tobirama was truly acting for his benefit, he'd be willing to become Hashirama's mount on the spot.
"Hashirama, don't come any closer. Now that you know what this thing does, stay away from me!"
Madara stepped back.
Now he understood.
The source of the "heat" was that, under the catalyst's effect, he was being drawn toward Hashirama's massive chakra.
Fortunately, no matter how capable Tobirama was, he could only slightly amplify this attraction. It wasn't anything like the extreme cases Hashirama had described, where the entire shinobi world would covet a tailed beast's body.
"No, Madara. I can't just leave you alone!"
Hashirama stepped forward, gazing at him with deep emotion.
Madara felt his scalp go numb.
If only he could activate his Rinnegan right now, even for a moment, he could absorb some of Hashirama's chakra.
He wouldn't return to his peak, since the Impure World Reincarnation body imposed limits, but at least he'd regain basic mobility.
But right now, forget the Rinnegan, even trying to activate a basic Sharingan would immediately cause his body to collapse and enter the regeneration phase of Impure World Reincarnation.
"Even if I have to break your limbs, I'll drag you back onto the right path!"
"?"
What did "breaking limbs" even mean for an Impure World Reincarnation body?
Where did Hashirama even copy that line from?
He just used it without thinking, didn't he?
"Hashirama, you're absolutely disgusting. Don't come any closer, don't, oh."
Madara was suddenly pulled into a tight embrace.
That dense, overwhelming chakra made direct contact, crashing into his consciousness.
Fortunately, Madara's will was strong. He did not fall.
But Hashirama had no intention of letting him go.
He was prepared for a war of attrition, he was determined to make Madara turn over a new leaf.
And so, the two of them stayed in the cabin, with Hashirama essentially keeping Madara hidden away like a "beauty in a golden house."
Although Madara was currently weak, Hashirama still arranged for a barrier to be set up around the area, just in case.
The barrier covered a wide range.
It was originally just a sensory barrier, meant to alert them if someone tried to break through.
But for ordinary people, and for Madara, whose condition was so fragile that even kicking a coffin leg could break it, it also served as an actual obstruction.
A few days later.
During this time, Madara outwardly complied while secretly biding his time.
He continuously tricked Hashirama into revealing all kinds of information.
Now, Madara had no choice but to start believing what Hashirama had said earlier.
Because he needed to find a way to save himself.
At this point, it didn't matter whether Black Zetsu truly represented someone else's will, or whether the Infinite Tsukuyomi was a conspiracy.
He had to reclaim his autonomy first.
After that, he could judge the truth for himself.
Even if it turned out to be false, it wouldn't stop him from reviving and leading the shinobi world toward peace in his own way.
But the prerequisite for all of that was that he would be the one in control, not someone else's mount.
Next day.
Hashirama left the cabin, intending to gather data on the current alliances and peaceful development of the shinobi world, so he could show it to Madara and convince him completely.
As for Madara, after Hashirama left, he grabbed a pair of crutches and slowly, with great difficulty, made his way out of the cabin.
Yes, crutches.
Madara had discovered that without them, even walking a little faster would cause his body to enter the regeneration state of Impure World Reincarnation.
Tobirama had gone way too far.
As for why he was sneaking out now?
It certainly wasn't to escape.
There was a barrier around the area, Hashirama, who couldn't keep secrets to save his life, had already told him that.
What Madara intended to do now was something else: to find a certain person within the barrier… or rather, a certain "thing."
Hashirama had told him that the emergence of the Rinnegan wasn't simply Uchiha plus Senju, but the combination of Indra's chakra and Asura's chakra.
They belonged to the previous generation.
In the current generation, they were Naruto and Sasuke, and they lived not far from here.
Madara didn't fully understand the situation of those two, but he understood one thing clearly, the reincarnation of Asura.
There was something that could increase chakra without needing the Rinnegan to absorb it.
It was called Hashirama cells.
Now that Hashirama was dead, even if Madara resorted to the lowest means, he wouldn't be able to obtain Hashirama cells.
So his only option was to target the cells of "Hashirama's next reincarnation."
(End of this chapter)