Pangaea Castle, inside Taiji Hall.
Tetsuhiro hurried back and successfully met up with Madara.
From him, he learned that Black Zetsu had abducted Izuna!!!
"Impossible! Izuna can't go too far from the caster, and Tobirama can still release the Impure World Reincarnation."
"Normally, no, but hear me out!"
After Madara had chased down and killed Anpei Minghui, he had pursued the Daimyo into the Land of Earth. Once he had dealt with everyone blocking his way,
he had successfully slain him before the Land of Earth Daimyo Castle, then fought a string of battles against the Onmyoji, the First Tsuchikage-Ishikawa-and his disciple Mu!
In the end, he had successfully killed the Onmyoji and the Daimyo, intimidating everyone in the Tsuchikage's village.
Things had taken a turn after Tobirama and the others arrived. Black Zetsu had been alive all along, attached beneath Izuna's feet.
As Izuna approached Madara, Black Zetsu seized the moment when Madara was badly drained to take control of Izuna. He then released the Impure World Reincarnation and struck Madara from behind with a blade, severely wounding him.
Fortunately, Madara activated Sage Mode in time and joined forces with the Konoha shinobi to hold him off.
Controlling Izuna, Black Zetsu said bitterly, "Uchiha, Senju, none of you will get off lightly. I'll repay you properly!"
"Big brother, attack with everything you've got! Don't worry about me!" Izuna shouted desperately, only to sink slowly underground until he vanished.
"Damn it!" Madara smashed the table before him with a punch, killing intent surging around him. "I should have checked more carefully back then! That damned Black Zetsu."
"Since this is now a fight to the death, we need to prepare for everything. Here's some good news. Remember how I said there was a way to evolve your eyes into the Rinnegan?"
"Oh?" The word Rinnegan successfully diverted Madara's attention. "What method?"
Tetsuhiro immediately drew a kunai and, under Madara's shocked gaze, plunged it into his own chest.
With a hard scrape, blood instantly soaked his clothes. He cut out a large chunk of flesh and placed it in a vessel he had brought along.
"You... Hashirama! What are you doing?" Madara hurriedly activated Sage Mode to stop the bleeding and heal him.
His face somewhat pale, Tetsuhiro answered with a pained expression, "The method is to fuse my flesh, or my cells, into your body, activating the Otsutsuki genes hidden in your bloodline."
"I don't want it! Put the essence from your body back!"
"Heh." Tetsuhiro gave a miserable laugh. "You noticed, huh? To shorten the fusion time, I also dug out the wood essence I've accumulated lately. Take it, so we can find Black Zetsu and save Izuna!"
"No!" Madara refused sharply. "I don't need your help!"
"Neither of us can find Black Zetsu right now. This is our only option. Otherwise, given his resources, we'll be at a serious disadvantage if we leave him too long! It's not as though I can't recover. Take it."
Without allowing any argument, he forced it into Madara's hands and called Tobirama over.
"Start the experiment now, just as I told you."
Tobirama first shot Madara an angry glare, then went over to examine Tetsuhiro... Only after confirming that he was in no serious danger did he haughtily snatch the vessel from Madara's hands.
"Hmph! If Black Zetsu weren't a threat, and my big brother hadn't ordered it, I would never help the likes of you!" With that, he headed straight for the Laboratory.
Madara said nothing, silently healing Tetsuhiro.
His flesh soon regenerated, but Tetsuhiro's face remained pale from the severe loss of blood and vitality.
Madara stepped forward to support Tetsuhiro, a trace of tenderness unconsciously entering his eyes, along with something else.
Ding!!!
[Congratulations, host! You have triggered Madara Uchiha's special storyline-Beyond Bonds!] [Objective-Make Madara develop feelings for the host that go beyond bonds, and successfully hold hands once!] [First reward-Uchiha Heirloom Necklace (enhanced version)] Basic functions: 1. Enhances all of the wearer's ninjutsu and Senjutsu. 2. Can store large amounts of chakra. Special functions: 1. Sealing Resonance: Can cast a powerful Sealing Jutsu. Its power increases if cast jointly by the bound wearers. 2. Bond Everlasting: Can consume a large amount of chakra to instantly summon the bound wearer to one's side. 3. Life-and-Death Bond: If one wearer is near death, the necklace can temporarily bind their life forces together, sustaining both lives until one is out of danger.
Holy crap, it's that powerful? Who cares about dignity? I have to get it! Tetsuhiro suppressed his wild delight and prepared to put on a show.
Suddenly, he lost his footing, stumbled, and fell into Madara's arms.
Madara was at a loss. He wanted to push him away but worried about using too much force, so he gently eased him back.
Taking advantage of the motion, Tetsuhiro held his hand and said, "Sorry for making you worry. I really can manage on my own."
"Cut the nonsense." Madara had been about to shake off Tetsuhiro's hand, but after hearing that, he ultimately did not let go.
"Cough, cough!" After only two steps, he saw "Hashirama" actually coughing up blood.
"I already healed the wound. Why is this still happening?"
Tetsuhiro replied calmly, "Maybe it damaged my core vitality. Don't worry about me. The Rinnegan matters more."
Madara fell silent for a moment.
Oh no, is he really planning to leave? Tetsuhiro's heart rose into his throat. Just as he thought Madara was truly about to walk away,
Madara stepped in front of him and crouched down. Swallowing, he stammered, "G-get on."
"What? I didn't hear you just now," Tetsuhiro asked in confusion.
Madara had his head lowered, hiding his expression, but Tetsuhiro keenly noticed that both his ears were bright red, as though he were struggling to hold something back.
"Get on! I'll carry you!" This time, Madara spoke clearly.
"Uh... maybe we should forget it. You're the Hokage, a powerful man with so much pride. You don't have to go this far for me."
"Enough! You really do drag things out." Without another word, Madara grabbed Tetsuhiro's legs and hoisted him onto his back.
He even thoughtfully found a blanket to cushion Tetsuhiro's chest.
"Madara, you're the first person to carry me on your back. My father and family never treated me like this. You're... so kind." Even Tetsuhiro felt a little nauseated after saying it, but for the necklace, he could only swallow his discomfort.
"I... this is my first time too. Stop squirming."
Tetsuhiro gritted his teeth and went all in, pressing himself tightly against Madara's back.
Only then did he realize how broad and sturdy Madara's back was. It gave him an inexplicable sense of security.
"Madara, you smell so nice... Huh? That necklace of yours looks pretty good. Where did you buy it? I'll buy one too."
"You mean this?" Madara revealed the pale blue-green pendant hanging around his neck. "This is a family heirloom from my clan. It can store chakra and enhance ninjutsu."
"That's amazing. What a shame it's your family's heirloom necklace. I was thinking of buying an identical one."
"..."
Seeing that the atmosphere had grown awkward, Tetsuhiro changed the subject. He talked about their childhood meeting, their stone-skipping contests, how standing behind Madara had stopped him from being able to pee, and how their fathers and younger brothers had forced them onto opposing sides.
Soon, they arrived at the Laboratory entrance.
"Shall we go in?" Tetsuhiro asked, puzzled when Madara stopped at the door.
Madara silently set him down gently and stared intently at him.
His gaze made even Tetsuhiro feel embarrassed, and he averted his eyes.
"Take it."
Tetsuhiro looked back and saw that Madara had removed the necklace and was holding it out before him.
"That wouldn't be right. It's a family heirloom, after all. I don't want it that badly."
"I don't take back things I've given away. You're taking it whether you want it or not! Here!"
Annoyed, Madara shoved the necklace into his hand. "You've done so much for me. It's just a necklace. It's nothing. Besides, it can serve as proof of genuine friendship between the Uchiha Clan and the Senju!"
"You'd better take good care of it, or I won't let you off lightly!" Madara warned as he supported Tetsuhiro into the Laboratory.
Ding!!!
[Congratulations, host, on completing the objective! Madara Uchiha's Bond Level has increased. Current level: 98%.] Distributing reward now.
Suddenly, the necklace in Tetsuhiro's hand erupted with brilliant light and unknown energy fluctuations. Madara immediately snatched it away and activated Susanoo.
"Hashirama, get back! I've never seen this kind of energy before." As he spoke, he tossed the necklace to Susanoo.
But after a while, the necklace's light and energy vanished completely. Nothing happened.
Only then did Madara retrieve it and examine it carefully in his hand.
"Strange. Could this be the work of the Sage of Six Paths? It's actually grown stronger."
Still, he gave the necklace to Tetsuhiro and personally put it around his neck.
In his words, this was heaven's will!
Madara Uchiha is putting a necklace on me? Tetsuhiro went rigid with nerves, not even knowing where to put his hands.
Before he could inspect the necklace, Tobirama hurried out.
"Hurry up, you two! I still have plenty to do. Let me make this clear first: I can only guarantee a cell fusion rate of around seventy percent."
Madara quickened his pace, followed him over, and lay down on the Experimental Platform, allowing Tobirama to work.
His tightly clenched fists unconsciously relaxed a little when he saw Tetsuhiro.
This would have been utterly impossible before, but with Hashirama there, he felt much more at ease.
A long time passed.
In the end, the experiment went smoothly. Hashirama's wood essence and cells had been successfully implanted into Madara's body in the initial stage.
Before Tetsuhiro could ask anything, Madara slowly opened his eyes.
The scarlet star patterns within them had been replaced by three purple circular rings. A closer look revealed a round black dot at the very center...
Before you continue