Chapter 337: Hashirama – "Madara, You Have a Descendant and Didn't Even Tell Me? So Distant!"
Senju Hashirama noticed Tobirama's subtle movements but couldn't quite figure out what he was doing. Then again, he had always known he wasn't as smart as his younger brother, so not understanding his actions was nothing new. He quickly pushed the thought aside and continued chatting with Uchiha Madara.
"So, you created your first will while linked to the Demonic Statue of the Outer Path?"
The two were discussing Madara's past and the mystery surrounding Black Zetsu.
It was certainly odd for a supposed "will of Madara" to abandon its mission at the last moment.
"That's right. Thinking back now, Black Zetsu must have been an independent entity that had existed in the ninja world all along."
Madara, currently bound tightly in seals, originally had no interest in entertaining Hashirama. But given his current situation, he might need Hashirama's help. So, he didn't outright reject the conversation.
After all, falling into Tobirama's hands meant he might end up as some research specimen—an absolute humiliation!
Compared to that, chatting with Hashirama was a minor inconvenience at best.
But as he reflected on the past, Madara started noticing more inconsistencies.
"Black Zetsu always acted respectfully toward me, but compared to the second Black Zetsu… the difference was immense."
What was the attitude of the second Black Zetsu?
That thing was a fanatic, blindly charging into battle at the mere mention of his "beliefs."
"Then who exactly is Black Zetsu?" Hashirama asked curiously. "You don't have any guesses?"
"…Heh. If not for Hyuga Fuji's recent orders, I would have thought Black Zetsu had already been swapped out while he was there."
Madara let out a cold snort.
He had already inspected Black Zetsu upon its return, confirming that it wasn't an imposter. But considering Fuji had already managed to replicate White Zetsu, it wouldn't have been surprising if he had done the same with Black Zetsu.
Unfortunately, that wasn't the case.
Black Zetsu had been flawed from the very beginning.
The great Uchiha Madara had actually been deceived by a weak chakra entity!
Seeing Madara's foul mood, Hashirama chose to spare his old friend some dignity and changed the topic.
"So, have you considered my earlier proposal?"
"The loser naturally has to witness the winner's success. What else is there to consider?"
Madara turned his gaze toward Hyuga Fuji in the distance. "I want to see how he plans to handle this."
---
Fuji stood in front of Hikari, who was securely restrained by Kurama Tomoko's scientific ninja tools. She glared at them with undisguised defiance.
"Uchiha… Hikari. You don't mind if I call you that, do you?"
Hikari's pupils constricted.
Buried memories from long ago resurfaced.
A nameless Uchiha shinobi had once stood before her, speaking in a cold voice:
"Uchiha Hikari? A mere weapon doesn't deserve such a weak name. From now on, you are Uchiha Nanashi!"
Uchiha Hikari—that was the name her parents had given her.
How did this man know it?
It had been two hundred years since that time…
Hikari stared blankly at Fuji, taking a moment to process the situation. Then, she asked, "Were you also a ninja from the Warring States era who was sealed away?"
"No. I simply obtained this information from your dreams—by accident."
Hikari's gaze turned icy as she snapped her head toward Kurama Tomo.
But Tomoko only gave her a confused look, making Hikari frown.
It wasn't her?
Wasn't she the one who had invaded her dreams and leaked her past?
"No need to glare at her. She has nothing to do with it." Fuji said calmly. "I brought this up because I have a proposal for you."
"Over the years, I've attempted to summon powerful figures from past eras. But either their bodies were completely lost, or they couldn't be revived at all."
"From what I've gathered, the Pure Land's soul preservation system is flawed. Only the strongest souls last long enough to remain there. If your parents weren't among them, then even if they still exist, you wouldn't be able to find their remains, would you?"
Hikari frowned, sneering, "And what exactly is your point? I couldn't care less about them!"
Fuji chuckled knowingly. "There are certain artifacts and abilities in this world that could help you. Right now, I need two of them. If you assist me in obtaining them, I'll grant you the right to use one."
Hikari scoffed. "You managed to suppress my Eight Thousand Spears technique, which means you have similar abilities. Why would you need my help? Also, my name is Nanashi, not Uchiha Hikari. That weak name is meaningless to me!"
"It's just a precaution."
Fuji shrugged. "Since you didn't outright refuse, I'll take that as a yes."
Without waiting for her response, he turned and walked away.
Hikari's eyes widened in disbelief before she angrily shouted, "I NEVER AGREED! Get back here! I don't care about them, I—"
"If you really didn't care, why did you react so strongly when I called you Hikari?"
Kurama Tomoko smirked as she ruffled Hikari's spiky hair, surprised at how nice it felt. Satisfied, she squinted her eyes playfully.
"Nanashi… no,Hikari. If your parents could hear you now, they'd be heartbroken. Think about it. Given your current status as a prisoner, this is actually a pretty good deal."
Then, she casually pointed toward Madara in the distance.
"See Uchiha Madara over there? His treatment is far worse than yours. Can you imagine what it's like to be thrown into a research lab? Those scientists are insane—they'd love nothing more than to take you apart piece by piece and put you back together again…"
Madara, who had been watching Fuji the whole time, immediately noticed Tomoko pointing at him.
Instinctively, he read her lips—and the moment he understood her words, his fury boiled over.
And then…
Well, nothing.
Because he was still sealed.
What could he do?
He could only glare at Tomoko with 30% anger and 70% frustration.
Hashirama followed Madara's line of sight, looking at Hikari, then back at Madara.
And suddenly, something clicked.
Back when he sent his Wood Clone to assist Tomoko, he had thought Hikari looked familiar.
At the time, he was too overwhelmed with joy at seeing Madara again to dwell on it.
But now that he took a closer look…
She looked JUST like Madara!
This girl—who was she again?
Suzaku of Akatsuki… Uchiha Nanashi.
That was all he knew.
He had no idea why she had joined Akatsuki or what her connection to Madara was.
But seeing Madara staring at her with such a complex expression, Hashirama thought he understood.
"Madara, that girl looks just like you! Is she your daughter? Or your descendant?"
Same spiky hair. Same eternally cold expression.
She was practically Madara with a gender swap!
How could they not be related?!
Madara snapped out of his thoughts, completely bewildered.
What the hell are you talking about?! What daughter? What descendant?!
Seeing his silence, Hashirama assumed it was confirmation.
He clapped Madara's shoulder and laughed heartily. "Madara, you should've told me sooner! She even joined Akatsuki to help you. As her elder, you should take better care of her!"
"If you'd spoken up, I could've asked Tobirama to get her better treatment!"
"Also, why did you name your descendant 'Nanashi'? Don't you know it's such a bad omen."
At that moment, Madara's soul left his body.
His mind had only one thought left.
"F*ck."