Ch. 401I Don't Need It Either!
Chapter Summary: “I Don’t Need It Either!”
Key Plot Points and Events
- Tsunade is reunited with her resurrected grandfather, Hashirama Senju, and her great-uncle, Tobirama Senju. Their appearance reminds her of the grief and guilt she carried after Nawaki and Dan’s deaths.
- Hashirama reassures Tsunade that Nawaki’s death was not her fault, while Tobirama encourages her to believe that goodness still exists in the shinobi world and to learn to trust people again.
- Their emotional reunion quickly becomes comedic when Tsunade scolds Hashirama for making his earlier online messages look like a scam. Hashirama admits he borrowed money from her, prompting Tobirama’s frustration.
- Tsunade discovers that Orochimaru has been making the resurrected Hokage work. She angrily accuses him of exploiting the dead, but Hashirama and Tobirama initially appear to confirm that they have been treated reasonably.
- The Fourth Raikage then publicly accuses Hashirama and Tobirama of colluding with Orochimaru to oppress the worker shinobi. This causes the Konoha shinobi to suspect that the First and Second Hokage were secretly involved.
- Tobirama denies the accusation, explaining that he only cooperated with Orochimaru because Hashirama wanted to contact Tsunade online. He urges everyone to defeat Orochimaru so he can return to the afterlife.
- Elsewhere, Fuyou creates a large number of shadow clones and organizes an attack on Orochimaru’s factory using massive quantities of Explosive Tags. His plan is to destroy the facility directly rather than infiltrate it.
- Uchiha Madara suddenly appears in Susanoo after stealing Orochimaru’s control nameplate, which gives authority over reanimated workers. Madara declares that he will no longer be controlled, crushes the nameplate, and announces that the real battle is beginning.
Character Developments
- Tsunade confronts her unresolved trauma over Nawaki and Dan but receives emotional reassurance from Hashirama and Tobirama. Her anger toward Orochimaru also demonstrates her continuing loyalty to her family.
- Hashirama remains warm, carefree, and somewhat irresponsible, treating serious matters casually and even admitting that he borrowed money from Tsunade.
- Tobirama acts as the practical and frustrated counterpart to Hashirama. He tries to explain their situation, defend their honor, and escape the absurdity of the current world.
- Orochimaru remains playful and manipulative, treating the accusations and rebellion almost like entertainment. He is briefly surprised by Madara’s theft of the control device but quickly regains his composure.
- Madara shifts from controlled participant to active rebel. By destroying the nameplate, he rejects Orochimaru’s authority and openly challenges him.
- Fuyou reveals a more direct and destructive strategy, using his enormous chakra reserves and accumulated Explosive Tags to launch a large-scale assault.
- The Fourth Raikage takes a moralistic and confrontational stance, accusing the Hokage and Orochimaru of exploiting shinobi labor.
Significant Themes
- Guilt and healing: Tsunade’s pain over Nawaki’s death and Hashirama’s reassurance emphasize the difficulty of overcoming survivor’s guilt.
- Trust and deception: Tobirama’s advice about trusting others is undercut by the absurd online-scam misunderstanding and by Orochimaru’s hidden systems of control.
- Exploitation and labor: The chapter satirizes oppressive work conditions through the “007 Employee Edition” of the Reanimation Jutsu and the idea of resurrected shinobi being forced to work.
- Authority and rebellion: Madara’s destruction of the control nameplate symbolizes his rejection of imposed authority and sets up a direct confrontation with Orochimaru.
- Comedy amid trauma: Emotional reunions, accusations of corruption, online scams, and workplace exploitation are presented through parody, contrasting the characters’ tragic histories with the chapter’s absurd modern setting.
- Preparedness and excess: Fuyou’s stockpiling of Explosive Tags becomes useful during the attack, humorously validating excessive preparation.
Character Interactions
- Tsunade shares a touching but comedic reunion with Hashirama and Tobirama, blaming Hashirama for making his attempts to contact her resemble a scam.
- Tobirama repeatedly reprimands Hashirama for his poor judgment and tries to clarify their relationship with Orochimaru.
- Tsunade confronts Orochimaru over his treatment of the reanimated Hokage, while Orochimaru insists that they have been treated well.
- The Fourth Raikage challenges Hashirama and Tobirama publicly, creating suspicion among Tsunade, Jiraiya, and the other Konoha shinobi.
- Orochimaru and Tobirama argue over whether their previous cooperation was voluntary, with Tobirama insisting that he was forced into it.
- Fuyou coordinates his shadow clones and allied shinobi in preparing the factory’s destruction.
- Madara finally confronts Orochimaru directly, stealing and destroying the control device before declaring that their battle has truly begun.