Madara, Madara, Madara!
What's so great about that damn Uchiha Madara?!
Even now, my brother is still thinking about him?!
Inwardly, Senju Tobirama cursed his brother's soft-heartedness. But in front of the outsider, Emiya Shigen, he felt the need to preserve some dignity for Hashirama.
"Brother!"
Tobirama stepped forward and placed a firm hand on Hashirama's shoulder, trying to calm him down.
"Take a moment to compose yourself."
"Who's there?!"
Hashirama's eyes darted up defensively before softening.
"Oh… it's you, Tobirama."
Seeing his brother, Hashirama's panicked expression slowly eased, but the fear from his nightmare still lingered.
"Tobirama…"
Hashirama stared at his hands, trembling slightly.
"I dreamed… I dreamed that I killed Madara."
"Brother!"
Tobirama's expression hardened.
"It wasn't a dream."
Hashirama's body suddenly slumped. His hands fell limply by his sides, and his face twisted in visible pain.
"Tobirama…"
"I think… I really did kill him…"
Slowly, Hashirama raised a trembling hand to his forehead.
Tears began to stream down his cheeks.
"…"
Tobirama remained silent for a moment.
Though he personally believed that killing Madara had been the right decision, he knew how deeply the loss would hurt his brother.
Tobirama had witnessed firsthand the bond between Hashirama and Madara — a friendship born amidst the bitter feud between their clans.
It was a bond that Hashirama had cherished, even at the cost of his own life.
But in the end…
That bond had been severed.
And it was Hashirama himself who had cut it — by killing Madara with his own hands.
"Brother."
Tobirama gently patted Hashirama's shoulder.
"Don't forget… Madara wanted to destroy Konoha with the Nine-Tails. You killed him to protect the village we all built together."
"To protect the village…"
Hashirama's eyes grew distant.
Yes.
It was that thought — the desire to protect Konoha — that had ultimately driven him to kill his closest friend.
Konoha was their shared dream, something they had built together.
Madara had even come up with the name Konoha.
But in their final battle…
Madara hadn't intended to kill him.
Madara still believed that, as always, a single battle would be enough to settle their differences — to force Hashirama to bend to his will and accept his vision for Konoha.
However…
Hashirama knew better.
His love for Konoha had grown stronger than his friendship with Madara.
And because of that…
He had made the decision to kill him.
But that choice left Hashirama with unbearable sorrow.
He had sacrificed his most cherished bond to protect Konoha.
The pain was overwhelming.
Hashirama sat on the bed, his hands gripping the blanket, his tears falling uncontrollably as he recalled his memories of Madara.
"Let the patient rest for a while."
Emiya Shigen stood up and spoke gently to Tobirama.
"He's emotionally unstable. It's best to leave him alone for now."
"And…"
"Make sure he doesn't use chakra to heal himself. His rapid cell regeneration will only worsen his condition."
"Understood."
Tobirama carefully helped his brother lie down again.
Hashirama lay motionless on the bed, his tears still falling, completely unaware of Shigen's presence.
"Brother."
"Get some more rest."
Tobirama pulled the blanket over him and continued his instructions.
"Don't use chakra to heal yourself. Control your self-healing ability."
"Wait…"
Hashirama suddenly grabbed his brother's wrist.
"Tobirama… did you bring back Madara's body?"
"It has been… dealt with and buried."
Tobirama's gaze flickered slightly.
A lie.
He had hidden Madara's body.
After all, Madara was the strongest Uchiha and possessed the Eternal Mangekyou Sharingan.
From a research perspective, Madara's body was invaluable.
Tobirama wanted to dissect Madara's corpse to figure out how to neutralize the Sharingan's power.
Naturally, he had no intention of wasting this opportunity.
Besides…
Tobirama had always hated Madara.
He couldn't care less about respecting Madara's remains.
But…
His brother must never know.
However, Emiya Shigen had already noticed.
Shigen had been silently observing the Senju brothers' conversation.
He saw the flicker in Tobirama's eyes and instantly guessed what Tobirama had done.
Shigen smiled subtly.
Based on his knowledge of Konoha's history from his past life, he knew exactly where Tobirama had hidden Madara's body.
"If my guess is right…"
"I think I know where my old ally is."
Shigen chuckled to himself.
"My pawn…"
"No, my ally…"
"And my ally's pawn is my pawn as well."
"I hope my dear ally, Black Zetsu, won't hold a grudge over my betrayal from back then…"
"In this era, I've come to see the error of my ways."
In the Hidden Mountains of Konoha
Deep within a secret underground chamber, a pitch-black figure emerged from the earth.
It was Black Zetsu.
An ancient and enigmatic creature with a mysterious, unnatural lifespan.
Zetsu stood silently, staring at the sealed coffin in the center of the room.
His expressionless face twisted slightly in confusion.
"Madara's dead?"
What the hell?
Madara's dead?!
This made no sense.
Madara had been the perfect pawn, carefully groomed over centuries.
The last pawn that had been this promising was Emiya Shigen himself, over a thousand years ago.
Shigen's brilliant mind and grand dreams had made him an even better candidate than Indra.
But in the end…
Shigen had been too naïve.
He believed in Asura's ideals and was convinced that the ninja world could become a utopia through peace and medical ninjutsu.
"Such a fool…"
Zetsu muttered bitterly.
Believing that chakra was a force of happiness…
Humans would always fight over resources.
And any powerful tool would inevitably become a more efficient weapon.
"What a waste."
Zetsu sighed.
"Shigen was so smart…"
"Too bad he was too kind-hearted to realize the truth."
Still…
If Shigen were alive now…
He'd regret trusting Asura.
Zetsu's eyes darkened with sorrow.
Shigen had been his favorite pawn.
Compared to Madara, Shigen had been far superior.
Madara, after all, was too arrogant and stubborn.
And now…
With Madara dead, the plan seemed doomed.
"Madara's dead…"
"Should I wait for another millennium?"
"Or… maybe I should just take his eyes?"
As Zetsu pondered his next move, the coffin suddenly creaked.
Startled, Zetsu quickly sank back into the earth, blending into the shadows.
The coffin began to stir.
Zetsu cautiously peeked out from his hidden spot, keeping a watchful eye on the unexpected movement inside the sealed coffin.