Chapter 39

After a moment of shock, Hashirama calmed down. Ever since he had experienced time travel and encountered another version of himself, his psychological threshold had been pushed to new heights; there was truly nothing left that could make him lose his composure.

"Are you currently occupying the body of this world's Uchiha Madara?" Looking at him this way, the aura of Uchiha Madara was indeed different from yesterday; the intimidating sharpness had been reined in significantly.

"One body, two souls, I suppose." Madara rubbed his temples. "This body is highly resistant to my soul, so I can only control it temporarily. I don't have much time, so let's get to the point!"

Hashirama settled Madara's body back onto the tatami mat and turned to him. "You mean, the reason for coming to this world?"

Madara sneered, "It has everything to do with the Nine-Tails!"

"The Nine-Tails alone couldn't have caused this; there must have been other factors acting in concert to create such a coincidence. Have you discovered anything?"

Madara shook his head. "I'm not sure either; I was like this when I woke up." With his experience across two lifetimes, he had guessed his situation the moment he arrived and gathered a little intelligence. Of course, this was also related to his unique circumstances—the differences between the Uchiha clans of the two worlds were stark.

Hashirama pondered for a moment and said, "I've reached an agreement with the First of this world; he will provide assistance as he sees fit."

"You've met him? When?" Madara asked. Although he shared a body with this world's Uchiha Madara, he could not share memories. Furthermore, he had been deliberately avoiding the First for the past four days... The intuition of a top-tier powerhouse would surely detect something amiss, and he didn't want to fight him just yet.

"Yesterday evening."

Madara raised an eyebrow. "Unconditionally?"

"The only requirement is that I cannot harm the interests of Konoha."

That was effectively unconditional... As for harming the interests of Konoha, let alone Hashirama, even Madara wouldn't do such a thankless task without reason—his roots were in another world! "What do you plan to do next?"

"We can only take it slow. There might be some information regarding the Tailed Beasts, and Tobirama here might be able to help—if he is as skilled in research as the Tobirama of our world." Hashirama said this with a hint of hesitation. Thinking of the First who was identical to himself, he then thought of this world's Uchiha Madara, who was inexplicably completely different... "What about you—the original owner of the body?"

"I have him suppressed for now." Madara didn't want to dwell on this and changed the subject. "It looks like you've taken good care of my body."

Hashirama shook his head. "You had best return to your own body as soon as possible; the current situation is very disadvantageous for you."

"I know." Madara sighed, a rare trace of annoyance crossing his brow. "This Seat has no desire to stay here and clean up this mess!"

Seventeen years of hard work, only to be set back to square one overnight—such a tragic and infuriating fate was exactly what Madara was experiencing. Initially, he had thought he could never return to his former world, so he had resigned himself to starting over and rebuilding the Uchiha clan, intent on replacing this world's Uchiha Madara. Now that he knew Hashirama had also arrived in this world, bringing his original body with him, it meant his situation wasn't unsolvable, so he didn't need to go through all that extra trouble.

I'd rather go back to a life of luxury than stay here in Konoha Village living a life of hardship! Obsessing over conquering world after world is something only a chuunibyou would do. He wasn't someone who enjoyed the process; everything he did was merely for the sake of the intended result.

Madara stepped forward to examine his own body carefully; this was an experience not everyone could have.

The sleeping body still held the breath of life. The white robe with blue-trimmed embroidery he had worn before had been replaced with simple casual wear, made of common fabric without any patterns. Yet, this simplicity did not diminish the nobility of the body; instead, it exuded a sense of cold, snowy detachment. The calm, water-like face only deepened this aura, making the person appear serene and tranquil.

Madara stroked his chin: So, I look this good in white; it's like a big bad wolf turning into a little white rabbit... What a harmless appearance!

Hashirama watched, torn between laughter and tears, as Madara "teased" his own body: his fingers slid from the face to the back of the hand, where the wounds had already healed, leaving only faint red marks that would fade within days. Madara, however, frowned slightly: "...Where is the 'Space Eater'?"

Hashirama was confused. "What?"

"The jade ring on my right thumb." This ring was bound to his soul; he could use it regardless of which body he occupied. It contained items Izuna had prepared. He had originally thought it was more than enough, but he hadn't expected to end up in this spacetime—he was starting to worry that the supplies inside wouldn't be enough.

"Ah, it was in the way when I was treating your wounds, so I took it off." Hashirama reached into his robe, pulled out the jade ring, and handed it over. "There's a crack on it; it probably broke when I was sealing the Nine-Tails. Fortunately, it didn't shatter completely."

Madara nodded and took it, but the moment he touched the jade ring, a massive suction force erupted! Hashirama immediately threw the ring away, but it was too late; the body of this world's Uchiha Madara lost control and collapsed.

The accident happened too suddenly. Hashirama stared wide-eyed at the two identical bodies lying on the tatami, not knowing what to do for a moment.

What is going on?!

At this moment, the body that had been asleep for four days finally showed signs of waking.

Hashirama recovered from his stupor. Seeing this, he felt a mix of surprise and cautious observation toward the person about to rise, simultaneously tensing his combat nerves to be on guard: after all, he still couldn't be sure which "Uchiha Madara" this was.

Weak and powerless, his joints seemingly stiff...

Barely propping up half his body, Madara opened his eyes to see the conflicted and vigilant face of a certain someone, and he snapped, "What are you looking at! It's me!"

Hashirama breathed a sigh of relief and hurriedly stepped forward to help him up, saying helplessly, "You two keep switching back and forth; I can't keep track anymore." He smiled slightly. "Regardless, it's good that you've switched back."

Madara didn't rush to be happy, instead asking, "Just now—was it the ring?"

Hashirama nodded. "And that feeling... it was a bit like the black hole that appeared during the sealing. What exactly is this ring of yours? Is it a divine artifact?"

"Something made by the clan's research division; it can open a small space." With a wave of his hand, the ring in the corner flew into his palm. Madara frowned as he examined the small object, but this time, there were no energy vortices or black hole-like changes. Uchiha Masahiro, what on earth did you create?

"A spatial item!" Hashirama's gaze toward the unassuming ring changed instantly. Time and space were the two main axes that constructed a world. Any item that touched upon either was already on par with certain divine artifacts!

"It uses Star Jade as a material, with various techniques and formations embedded within." Just looking at this, Madara felt the world he was reborn into was absurd: Star Jade—did the name have to be so fantasy-like!

"Star Jade?" It was the first time Hashirama had heard of it.

"'Refining the sun and moon, measuring the stars, the yin and yang and five elements, cycling without end.' The ancient book Strange Objects: Heavenly Principles mentions Star Jade. That book is over a thousand years old and has been out of print for centuries. I only learned about it from the Fujiwara Clan." Gently stroking the crack on the surface of the ring, Madara curled his lips. "Such a small piece was a tribute from the Land of Snow; it's a good thing they had no eye for quality."

"If we start with the Nine-Tails and this ring, we should be able to find a way back," Hashirama said joyfully.

"Let's try and see!" Madara put the ring away and glanced at this world's Uchiha Madara. "Let's deal with him first."

Hashirama naturally hadn't forgotten about this person, and even while speaking, he hadn't relaxed his guard against him. However... dealing a lethal blow to an unconscious, innocent person didn't align with his principles, and the man had the same face as Madara, making it very hard for him to strike!

"...He is a member of Konoha."

"I didn't say to kill him. He is 'Uchiha Madara,' after all; how could he die so pathetically?" Madara pinched the man's chin. The Uchiha Madara, lost in his nightmare, was forced to lift his head, exposing his fair neck; a little pressure would be enough to snap it. No matter how powerful a person was, life was always this fragile. His brows were tightly locked, his expression one of pain and sorrow, as if experiencing immense agony. "It's almost dawn. Should I send him back to the Uchiha estate, or just strip him naked and throw him on the street?"

Hashirama felt a vein pop. "What did he ever do to you?"

Madara sneered, his fingers tightening on the man's chin by another five percent. "Even if he isn't the same person, I will not allow him to be harmed!" The "him" here clearly didn't refer to this Uchiha Madara. Recalling the scenes that appeared in the illusion that reflected the heart, the sky-filling flames seemed to spread into his eyes, and his pupils slowly turned red. Madara leaned close to his ear and whispered a few words, his voice soft and light, yet his words carried a bone-chilling coldness.

"I believe we, as older brothers, feel the same. Your heart is clearly bleeding with pain... Why did you steal Izuna's eyes, hmm?"

The barely audible voice rang out like a thunderclap in Uchiha Madara's dream world. He snapped his eyes open, coming face-to-face with a pair of Mangekyo Sharingan!

"How could I ever steal my younger brother's eyes!"

With a grit-toothed roar, the Uchiha Madara of this world jolted awake. Before he could counter, Madara took the opportunity to fling his hand away and flickered out of his attack range.

Hashirama retracted the Wood Release that had been on the verge of erupting. He turned his head to see Madara wearing an expression that clearly said, "You're finally awake," and his mouth twitched. "Madara, you did that on purpose!"

"Ah, Hashirama, there's no need for you to interfere. This is a matter between Uchiha Madaras." Staring into his blood-red Sharingan, Madara chuckled, "It's the Eternal Mangekyo, isn't it? You use them without a shred of shame!"

Before the words had even faded, his figure vanished, and in the same instant, the spot where he had stood was annihilated by a vast expanse of Black Fire. The house the First had just assigned to Hashirama had vanished after only a single night.

Uchiha Madara regained his arrogant, composed expression and said coldly, "So you're the guy who's been occupying my body!"

Madara curled his lips, though there was not a hint of warmth in his eyes. "And what if I am?"

The first light of dawn peeked over the horizon, illuminating their faces, which were overflowing with killing intent.

Dressed in identical white robes with black hair flowing loose, their fierce attacks and murderous auras made the two of them indistinguishable at this moment.

"Don't think that having this face allows you to do anything; the gap in our power determines that we are fundamentally different." Uchiha Madara sidestepped dozens of hidden weapons and said disdainfully, "Someone like you, still lingering in weakness and feeling smug over petty tricks, will never understand the world of the strong."

"The world of the strong?" Madara waved his hand to deflect seven waves of Fire Tide and looked up with a smirk. "It's enough for me to get what I want. Someone like you, who has nothing but brute strength yet couldn't even keep his only brother, and who knows what else you'll lose in the future... I'm sorry, but I really have no interest in being that kind of 'strong'."

Every word of Madara's pierced straight to the heart. Upon hearing this, the dark red in Uchiha Madara's eyes deepened. "Do you want to die!"

"If you have the ability, then try it!" Madara pinched out several massive Fire Spears between two fingers. "As it happens, I've wanted to beat you up for a long time!"