Within the Uchiha Clan Grounds, inside an inconspicuous little building.
Madara sat cross-legged on the wooden floor, his eyes tightly shut as he sensed the changes in his chakra. It was completely different from his previous chakra; the abnormally active cells gave him an entirely new sensory experience.
He could now roughly understand where Hashirama's terrifying strength and extraordinary recovery abilities came from, but the newly formed cells constantly conveyed hunger to him every moment.
His closed eyes slowly opened as he surveyed the dim room shrouded by curtains. Bracing himself against the floor, he rose and walked to the window, pulling back the curtains to let the long-missed sunlight illuminate the entire room.
Brilliant patches of light fell across his face, making him turn his head away from the glaring sunlight.
As his gaze shifted, he clearly saw himself in the mirror. Fresh muscles had appeared where the scars on his body had been, and he unconsciously raised a hand to touch his rosy skin.
"Is this Hashirama's recovery ability?"
Madara raised his arm in surprise, allowing sunlight to spill over the crook of his elbow as he stared at the place where a scar had once been.
His gaze fell to the wound where Hashirama's flesh had been embedded. The unusual pale skin left him stunned. Is this a side effect of the transplant?
He twisted before the mirror, carefully checking whether the scars on his back had also been restored to their original state, until his growling stomach snapped him out of it.
Satisfied, he put on the clothes laid over the chair and walked out of the room into the long-missed sunlight.
News that the clan head had emerged from seclusion spread throughout the Uchiha Clan without warning.
Then came word that the clan head alone