Chapter 274: Hashirama and Madara

Some time ago. Inside Uchiha Madara's base.

A strikingly handsome figure slowly regained consciousness, his awareness returning.

Senju Tobirama rolled his stiff neck and took in his surroundings.

"That damned snake guy again… and that naturally evil Uchiha Madara?!"

His pupils shrank in an instant.

Without a moment's hesitation, relying purely on instinct, he formed hand seals and unleashed a jutsu.

"Water Release: Water Severing Wave!"

A high-pressure water blade, sharp enough to cut through the Divine Tree itself, shot toward Madara with a piercing sound.

However, what happened next left Tobirama utterly stunned.

Madara simply waved his hand, and the fierce water blade shattered instantly, dispersing into harmless droplets.

"This guy… he's even more terrifying than before!"

Tobirama glanced at his still-unconscious elder brother.

He chose not to attack again.

Instead, his sharp gaze remained locked onto Madara, his mind racing with unknown thoughts.

"Senju Tobirama."

Madara examined him with interest, a hint of curiosity in his voice.

"I've changed so much—how did you recognize me instantly?"

Tobirama sneered, his tone as icy as ever.

"Uchiha Madara, a born villain… Even if you were reduced to ashes, I'd still recognize you."

"Now let me ask you—why haven't you tampered with my personality?"

Madara crossed his arms and smirked.

"Because right now, you pose no threat to me."

As he finished speaking, an overwhelming surge of chakra erupted from his body, roaring like a tidal wave.

Tobirama's expression darkened instantly.

"This guy got uglier… and ridiculously stronger! Way too strong!"

But even so, Tobirama remained unfazed.

Or rather, he had never known what it meant to panic.

His face remained cold as he replied, "Flaunting your power in front of a dead man… Does that bring you pleasure?"

"Enough with the nonsense, Madara. What do you really want from me?"

Madara arched an eyebrow, his lips curling into a mocking smirk.

"As expected of you, Tobirama. Still as sharp-tongued as ever."

"But I have no real interest in you. I just don't want you ruining my reunion with Hashirama."

"If you know what's good for you, just sit back and listen. What I'm about to say is quite fascinating."

Tobirama frowned slightly but resisted the urge to attack.

"This guy is way too confident—it's irritating."

"But having my brother back is only beneficial to me. I'll hold off for now and see what Madara is up to."

"Hmph. Fine… for now, I'll go along with it, Madara."

Madara didn't seem to care about Tobirama's reaction.

In truth, he had a pretty good idea of what Tobirama was thinking.

(Your greatest enemy will always understand you best.)

Ignoring Tobirama, Madara turned his gaze to Hashirama, his eyes burning with anticipation as he silently called out:

"Wake up, Hashirama!"

Hashirama slowly opened his eyes, just as Tobirama had earlier, and scanned his surroundings.

"Tobirama, were we resurrected again?"

Then, the moment he saw Madara, confusion flickered across his face before turning into joy and relief.

"You're… Madara! You're alive! That's great!"

(Though this might not be the best time, seeing Madara again truly makes me happy!)

Like an excited fool, Hashirama rushed over to Madara's side, poking and prodding him while grinning like an idiot.

"Madara, why do you look like this now? You look so ugly!"

"Oh, oh! And how did you survive back then?"

Ignoring Hashirama's enthusiasm, Madara took a few steps back, his tone somber as he muttered:

"Hashirama… you actually stabbed me in the back…"

Hashirama froze.

His thoughts drifted back to that rainy night long ago.

In the gentle drizzle, he had stood behind Madara, plunging a long blade deep into his body.

Madara had looked at him with disbelief.

"Hashirama… you actually…"

Hashirama's expression was complicated, but his voice was firm.

"I had to protect our… No, I had to protect my village."

"My friends, my brothers, even my children—if they dared to threaten the village, I would never forgive them."

As he watched Madara collapse before him, childhood memories surged through his mind.

He recalled how he used to sneak up on Madara whenever he was peeing, watching as his friend struggled to finish out of embarrassment.

That had been Madara's one and only 'weakness.'

Once, Madara had even threatened to throw him into the river after peeing in it.

In the end, the two of them had playfully tumbled into the water together…

But now…

Standing behind Madara once again, it had been to kill him.

[End of flashback.]

Hashirama fell to his knees, bowing his head.

"Madara… I was wrong back then. I hope you can forgive me."

"Hmph. That fool thought he killed me, yet he never realized it was all part of my plan."

Madara gave Hashirama a sidelong glance and extended his hand.

"You idiot. You absolute moron."

Hashirama blinked in surprise.

"Madara…?"

Madara turned his head away, avoiding Hashirama's gaze.

"I made mistakes, too. So… I'll forgive you this once."

"Now get up. I have something important to discuss with you."

A bright smile spread across Hashirama's face as he nodded enthusiastically.

"Alright!"

Grasping Madara's hand, Hashirama pulled himself up and sighed sincerely.

"Madara, even though you've gotten uglier, you seem much more cheerful now."

Madara instantly yanked his hand away, scowling.

"Get lost! I swear, I can never tell if you're just naïve or naturally irritating!"

Hashirama chuckled sheepishly before turning to his younger brother, his expression puzzled.

"Tobirama, why haven't you said a word this whole time? That's not like you."

Scratching his head, he looked at Madara with a strange expression.

"Madara… You didn't mute Tobirama, did you?"

Tobirama replied calmly, "No, brother. I'm fine."

"Madara, just get to the point. What is it you need to talk to my brother about?"

Madara shot him a cold glance, visibly annoyed.

"Hmph. I don't need you to tell me what to do, Senju Tobirama."

"Hashirama, what I'm about to tell you concerns the fate of the entire shinobi world. Listen carefully."

Hashirama's eyes widened in shock.

"The fate of the shinobi world?!"

Even Tobirama, who had been feigning disinterest, subtly perked up his ears.

Madara nodded slightly, his tone grave.

"That's right. It all started with that stone tablet…"

The Divine Tree, the Ōtsutsuki Clan, Kaguya, Black Zetsu…

After listening to Madara's explanation, Hashirama couldn't help but ask:

"So, you were manipulated by that Black Zetsu, and that's why we ended up as enemies?"

"…Yeah."

Madara responded indifferently, clearly unwilling to dwell on his past mistakes.

"In any case, those beings from beyond this world are an ongoing threat to the shinobi world."

"For the sake of this world, for Konoha, for the Senju and the Uchiha… You and I must join forces again."

Without hesitation, Hashirama nodded excitedly.

"Fighting alongside you again, Madara? Protecting peace together? I'd love nothing more!"

Then he turned to his brother, looking uncertain.

"Tobirama, you…?"

(He's still arrogant and infuriating… but Madara really has changed.)

Tobirama crossed his arms and snorted.

"…Fine. Count me in."

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Pls Drop some Power Stones

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