Naruto: Tobirama Reborn, Invincible in the Ninja World

"Tobirama, did you just mention Madara?"

Hashirama's eyes lit up like fireworks, his demeanor shifting instantly as he stared intently at Tobirama's face.

"Uh… yeah, I did." Tobirama's expression fell.

As expected, any mention of Uchiha Madara would immediately flip his brother's mood.

"To think… I still have a chance to meet Madara after being revived! Hahaha!" Hashirama laughed heartily, one hand on his hip, his joy as radiant as the sun.

"Brother, calm down! This isn't exactly a good thing."

Tobirama stroked his chin, hesitating for a moment before deciding to share some crucial truths about the shinobi world.

"After your battle with Madara in the Valley of the End, he didn't actually die."

"Eh?" Hashirama blinked, stunned.

"He didn't die? But when I checked his pulse, there was no sign of life! And didn't you confiscate his body, Tobirama?"

Hashirama's disbelief was palpable. Back then, standing before the choice of protecting the village or his friend, he chose the village.

It cost him dearly—he had to kill his closest friend, and not long after, he succumbed to grief and passed away himself.

Now, hearing that Madara might have survived, Hashirama couldn't believe it.

"It was Izanagi," Tobirama explained, his tone grave.

"The Uchiha's forbidden Sharingan technique—by sacrificing the sight in one eye, it can rewrite reality, even reversing death itself. Madara had prepared Izanagi ahead of time and stored it in one of his Sharingan. That's how he faked his death. I only realized this after noticing anomalies in his supposed corpse."

Tobirama touched his nose in frustration.

Madara, knowing Tobirama's nature and his obsession with research, had used shadow clones to stage his death and escape undetected.

"Madara had a move like that? What an incredible technique!" Hashirama shuddered slightly, genuinely impressed by his old friend's cunning.

"Brother, this is not a good thing!" Tobirama massaged his forehead, exasperated.

"Do you remember how, before his 'death,' Madara bit off a chunk of your flesh?"

"Hmm… now that you mention it, yeah. It was my arm, right? It hurt a lot back then," Hashirama recalled, furrowing his brows.

"Well, during the decades after his fake death, Madara cultivated cells from your flesh and transplanted them into himself. That's how he awakened the Rinnegan!"

"What?! The Rinnegan? Isn't that the legendary eye of the Sage of Six Paths?"

"Yes, and Madara left his Rinnegan in the eyes of a surviving member of the Uzumaki Clan. That person is now the leader of the Akatsuki. With Madara's contingency plans in place, the Akatsuki is working to gather all the Tailed Beasts to revive the Ten-Tails. Their goal is to make Madara its jinchūriki, enabling him to cast an ultimate genjutsu on the entire shinobi world—a so-called path to peace."

Tobirama's expression darkened.

This was critical information, and he needed Hashirama to grasp its gravity.

"Wait, wait, wait… Tobirama, slow down! This is too much at once! Let me process…"

Hashirama rubbed his head, visibly overwhelmed.

"And this Rinnegan… it's the Sage's legendary eye? How did Madara awaken it just from biting me?!"

"Because, brother, you are special." Tobirama gave a terse reply, avoiding a lengthy explanation about Indra and Asura's reincarnations. That tale could wait until after they resolved the current crisis.

"And the Ten-Tails? Isn't there only nine Tailed Beasts?"

"All nine were once part of a single entity—the Ten-Tails, the origin of all chakra. The Sage of Six Paths split it apart to create the Tailed Beasts."

"And this ultimate genjutsu… trapping everyone in an illusion? How is that supposed to bring peace? Why would Madara think like that?"

Hashirama was now fully in "curious child" mode, firing off questions one after another.

"Brother, it's too complicated to explain everything now!" Tobirama huffed, turning away.

"The point is, Madara was deceived. He's being used by someone in the shadows. The so-called ultimate genjutsu is a sham. And now, Madara is about to be revived through Edo Tensei to complete the Ten-Tails revival! So, tell me—should we save Madara from this scheme or not?"

"Of course! If that's the case, we must stop this shadowy manipulator and free Madara from their control!"

Hashirama's determination flared up as his usual optimism returned.

However, he soon deflated, rubbing the back of his neck sheepishly.

"But, Tobirama… I can only use about thirty percent of my power from when I was alive. I might not be of much help…"

"Don't worry, brother. If I'm asking for your help, it's because I have a plan to make you useful again." Tobirama smirked.

"Oh? What kind of plan?"

"Well, it involves your cells…" Tobirama trailed off, his expression sly.

"Eh? My cells are that valuable? If I'd known, I would've sold my blood when I was alive—maybe I'd have had some extra cash for the gambling dens!"

"…"

Ignoring Hashirama's whimsical musings, Tobirama rummaged through his lab. After some searching, he retrieved a sample of Hashirama's cells.

"Brother, I'll need you to release your current body. I'm going to perform Edo Tensei on you again, using an improved vessel. Don't worry, I'll use a criminal as the sacrifice."

Not giving Hashirama a chance to lecture him, Tobirama quickly added, "This is for a good cause."

"Fine, but just this once!" Hashirama warned, reluctantly agreeing. Though he'd always opposed Tobirama's experiments, the current crisis left no room for debate.

Hashirama's soul emerged from his body effortlessly, the white glow of his spiritual form hovering in the air. For someone of his caliber, breaking free from Edo Tensei was trivial—unless their will was suppressed, as Orochimaru had done during the Konoha Crush.

"This won't take long!" Tobirama assured him before disappearing in a blur.

With the guards' respectful gazes following him, Tobirama selected a death row inmate from Konoha's prison and returned to his lab.

After rendering the convict unconscious, Tobirama got to work. Although the process was taxing, he modified Edo Tensei to create a disposable body. By limiting the vessel's lifespan, he amplified the strength it could channel.

Finally, after hours of effort, Tobirama finished. Smirking, he formed a hand seal.

"Summoning Jutsu: Edo Tensei!"

As the prisoner screamed in anguish, Hashirama's form materialized, his presence overwhelming.

"Hmm, doesn't feel much different," Hashirama said, flexing his hands.

"It won't, not at first. But when you push yourself, this body can unleash up to eighty percent of your original strength—for about an hour. After that, the vessel will burn out."

Tobirama's explanation was concise. Even with Hashirama's cells, achieving this level of improvement had been exhausting. Still, with Hashirama at eighty percent, combined with himself and the other Kage-level allies, they had a fighting chance against the Akatsuki and Orochimaru.

"Understood. Let's not waste any time!" Hashirama cracked his knuckles, his cheerful energy surging again.

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Pls Drop some Power Stones

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