Chapter 288: Mummy Madara?!

[Could the Cast Net Jutsu's connections be used to link entire worlds?]

That thought flashed through Link's mind. Before he could do anything about it, a swirling vortex from the Funa-tsū technique appeared right before his eyes.

Senju Tobirama emerged from it and gave a quick glance at the lab—now littered with debris from the chaotic windstorm—and at the still-rolling scroll on the ground.

"How was the chakra consumption on your side?" Link asked, steadying his breathing.

"It's huge. Probably only my brother and a Jinchūriki can temporarily link the two worlds," Tobirama answered tersely.

"Let's test if living things can pass back and forth." ×2

The two promptly came to an understanding. Link had a shadow clone fetch a few rabbits, then they waited until the designated time. Once again, a doorway-like portal appeared.

On the other side stood the "second" Hashirama, with Sasuke and Utakata at his side—drawn by the powerful chakra reaction. They shooed the rabbits in. From all appearances, the rabbits encountered no barrier at all.

Boom!

Tobirama formed seals to create a shadow clone, which also walked through. Nothing strange happened there, either. Next, they used a death-row prisoner—kept under genjutsu—to walk back and forth through the portal repeatedly.

Konoha in the main world had long since exhausted its death-row inmates, converting them all into Edo Tensei "black sludge." Link could, at any time, summon the Underworld Swamp and drag out wailing specters to spook people, but for this test, they used criminals from the Second World.

Thanks to the "second" Hashirama pumping more chakra, the portal stayed open for over a minute. During that time, a bunch of shinobi, sensing the huge chakra, hurried over to investigate. Being in the heart of Konoha, if Hashirama's chakra suddenly spiked, it was like throwing water into hot oil—even if they recognized his chakra, they worried he might be fighting someone.

After half a day of repeated tests, Tobirama reached a conclusion: the doorway opened by Cast Net Jutsu was totally stable for normal travel, seemingly merging the two worlds at that point. Crossing through felt like nothing at all.

In the process, Link started linking practically everyone present with Cast Net Jutsu—"first" Hashirama, the toddler versions of the Third and Fourth Hokage plus their spouses, Sasuke, Utakata, and all the other curious onlookers.

Once the entire group shared the load, chakra consumption dropped drastically. Adding in a bunch of rabbits, they found even they could carry the burden for a short time. With a squad of shinobi, the requirement plummeted to where even a genin could maintain it nearly 24/7.

After all, ninja recover stamina quickly; a steady drain of that scale doesn't interfere much with daily life or training—within the same world. As for opening cross-world portals, only the two Hashiramas could sustain it for more than a few seconds. Even Utakata in Tailed Beast Mode ran dry in under ten seconds.

Tobirama did some calculations and estimated that if the Cast Net Jutsu linked more than 10,000 ninja, the cost might drop enough for normal people to handle as well. In other words, it's a classic "the more, the merrier" technique. Having only a few people connected was almost pointless.

The principles involved weren't all that complicated—yet actually grasping how a single human could knit two different worlds together with pure spiritual energy left Tobirama's mind reeling, as if his brain couldn't get enough oxygen.

"One person might be able to link two worlds, but for a single person to connect them so effortlessly… that seems a bit out there." He stared blankly at the half-transparent cord Link had just created.

Why could that one cord accomplish such a feat?

Forget calling Link the next Sage of Six Paths—he might as well be the Sage's father. The notion of "spiritual energy fueled by imagination bursting all logical limits" was beyond absurd.

After a long silence, Tobirama chose to accept it. He didn't see much alternative. Casting aside overthinking, he joined in gleefully abusing Cast Net Jutsu. In barely two days, practically all the main-world jōnin, plus the reincarnated shinobi in the Second World, had been plugged into the Cast Net Jutsu—even the prisoners.

Both versions of Yahiko, both versions of Konan, the one-eyed "first" Nagato—everyone got wired. Through thorough testing, it was confirmed Link had top-level control: he alone could block, blacklist, or remove participants. No risk of snooping from random folks.

It was like the summoning marks they'd used to communicate with the deceased in Edo Tensei—just as bizarre, but they'd grown used to it.

Link, in just one night, took Cast Net Jutsu and produced an entire suite of features—group chat, a rudimentary "video sharing" site, something akin to a forum. Tobirama had no idea how Link could do so many weird "operations" with what was, in principle, just a persistent chakra link for exchanging data. The concept wasn't complicated—group messaging, forum functions, a network storing and relaying info to everyone—but the ingenuity was staggering.

[Ah, whatever—it works, so who cares.]

Tobirama saw Orochimaru brimming with excitement about testing the Cast Net Jutsu's new features. He himself no longer tried to make sense of it. "As long as he's our genius," he thought with a calm smile.

…

One Week Later – Below the Kannabi Bridge Base

Behind layers of seals in the underground chamber…

Clack—

The "first" Hashirama walked in. Though in a child's body, his expression was solemn, eyes bright and focused, as if he was pondering how to save the world.

"Ah! Little Link~!" he suddenly shrieked, swiveling to see the shorter-by-a-hair Link following behind him.

Behind them, the "second" Hashirama also wore a pained look.

"Lord Hashirama, I have to say it again: no gambling, porn, or drugs in the Cast Net Jutsu software," Link said, heaving a sigh.

Most people barely had enough chakra to send text messages. Audio messages and videos remained a rarity, so Link's "video platform" had hardly any uploads.

But the two Hashiramas—both sporting massive chakra reserves—had picked it all up fast and immediately started plotting a "net gambling app," so they could place bets online.

They had just been testing it out in secret, with Tsunade acting as dealer rolling the dice, when Link arrived and disabled them on the spot.

"All we wanted to do was have a little fun, Link~!" The "second" Hashirama tried to sling an arm around Link's shoulders with a friendly smile.

"If Tobirama approves, I won't argue." Link shrugged, before switching topics. "But first, can we get on with business, Lords Hashirama?"

"Sigh…" ×2

They sighed in eerie unison. Then the "first" Hashirama hefted a sealed "mummy" version of Uchiha Madara over his shoulder. On the move, his babyish features turned serious.

Link activated the Funa-tsū technique, taking them—along with the sealed Madara—to the main world. With both Hashiramas watching, Link carefully extended a half-transparent Cast Net Jutsu cord into the seal.

The barrier that supposedly blocked all forms of chakra and ninjutsu behaved as if it weren't even there. In moments, a new consciousness joined the Cast Net Jutsu network.

~~~

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