"Should we go over and help?" asked the young Namikaze Minato.
Senju Tobirama stayed silent for a long time. If even someone of Minato's caliber deemed the threat too overwhelming—if another Hashirama had chosen to withdraw—would their support be true "reinforcement," or just added chaos?
Nearby, the old Madara was sitting on the ground, face ashen, rasping for breath. He'd already been waiting for death. No matter how strong his chakra was, his body couldn't hold on any longer. Implanting the Rinnegan without proper life support had given him two extra months of life, and then that fierce battle had taken him beyond his limits.
Once he saw his dream destroyed, the tense mental state that had carried him so far simply snapped. Just a moment ago, he'd practically stepped into the Pure Land. So close to death, he'd urged Hashirama to run, rather than trying to flee with them.
Noting the tense silence, he let out a low chuckle. "Heh. With your level of strength, even if—"
Squelch!
Tobirama, without mercy, buried a kunai in the old man who was on the brink of death. "In a bit, Link will call you from the Pure Land. Whatever you have to say, say it properly then."
He really was irritated. Seeing old Madara like this displeased Tobirama immensely. The "Madara" he had once hated, feared, and—against his will—respected a little, had turned into such a figure. Better to finish him off.
He struck so abruptly that everyone else was stunned.
Squelch!
"Tidy up, Link," Tobirama said, confirming Madara was dead as he urged Link.
A startled Minato reflexively touched his own neck, feeling an icy chill. This Lord Tobirama was truly swift and ruthless.
"Uh… okay." Link paused a second, then performed the hand seals to summon Madara's soul. While doing so, he cast a sidelong glance at Tobirama. This kid's cold expression made him look far more like a "villain" than Link ever did. Especially since every time Tobirama killed, it seemed so abrupt. And if he deemed someone innocent, he might give them a chance first—but here, he just struck. No warning, no fuss.
Dark. Way too dark.
Before long, the "second" Madara reappeared, courtesy of the summoning technique.
"You back in your right mind now?" Tobirama folded his arms, glaring coldly. "Or do I need to resurrect you just to kill you all over again?"
(Being able to personally kill Uchiha Madara—kind of satisfying,) Tobirama mused.
"Hmph."
The "second" Madara didn't respond. He reached out to feel his now half-translucent body and then turned to Link, who'd summoned him. "The world I traveled to was very much like ours, except it was set further ahead in time."
"What did you do?" Tobirama demanded bluntly.
Madara didn't hide anything: he explained the entire Eye of the Moon Plan, the Ten-Tails Jinchūriki, Black Zetsu, and finally the horrifying woman who had been resurrected. Tobirama interjected with occasional questions, and once he understood the scheme for "world peace," he commented sharply, "Are you an idiot?"
From trusting the tablet's message without question, to trusting Black Zetsu—Tobirama, forever suspicious, found it all ridiculous. And from his viewpoint, this Madara was once equally suspicious of everything—yet he'd ended up a pawn for someone else's resurrection. Truly shameful.
A trace of anger flickered in Madara's eyes, but he couldn't be bothered fighting with "a brat." "The world I went to… had no Link," he said.
At once, all eyes turned to Link—except for Tobirama's. He actually stayed calm. (If a kid like Link existed in every world, other versions of Konoha would've come knocking long ago. No surprise—Link is special.)
He had, for instance, arranged quiet protection for Link's parents in the Second Parallel World.
"So that woman resurrected through your body claims to be Black Zetsu's mother?" Tobirama pressed.
Madara nodded. "We still don't know her true identity or the source of her strength. Black Zetsu calls her 'Kaguya.' And apparently, the so-called Infinite Tsukuyomi sucks away everyone's chakra, converting all humans into 'White Zetsu' soldiers."
"White Zetsu, Black Zetsu, Kaguya… tsk, you really let yourself be strung along from start to finish," Tobirama sneered before concluding, "We can't send anyone over there. An opponent who manipulates space-time at will is beyond us."
From a purely rational standpoint, that was the only choice. Even if it meant abandoning 'Hashirama.' (He's not my brother, just… a stranger from another world,) Tobirama thought. Drooping his eyelids—he was the shortest one there, so by lowering his gaze, no one could read his expression. He paused, then spoke in his usual tone:
"Link, stand by over there in case Madara returns. We'll keep watch here."
"Understood," Link replied after a heartbeat. He used the Funa-tsū technique and returned to the main world.
By "final preparations," they both understood it meant if everything else failed, they'd abandon the Second and Main Worlds.
Link would go alone to some unknown place. Because no one knew whose chakra had been recorded or if the Funa-tsū technique was compromised, he couldn't take anyone along. He'd have to search for new opportunities in a world he'd never visited. Even if everyone else died, as long as he survived, he might eventually resurrect them with Reincarnation.
But that would mean giving up everything he had here.
…
Main World, the Laboratory.
Thud.
Having landed back in the main world, Link wore a troubled look. He felt a strange, uneasy weight in his chest.
He teleported a shadow clone over to stand guard at the Rashomon by Training Ground #7, then went home and pulled on his old uniform. It had been ages since he'd prepared for a real fight.
Gathering the scrolls he'd stockpiled for a possible escape plan, he brushed his hand along the training table, remembering all the nights he'd spent there honing his skills.
Creak…
A window slid open. Neko Hina's pudgy, chubby head poked in, beaming. "Partner, you're back, meow."
(That fat cat… looks even fatter.)
Link wanted to smile but couldn't quite manage it. He kept his face taut. "Yeah."
Hina chattered on, "I'll tell you, a few days back, that Haruno Sakura kid got promoted to Special Jōnin, and that big dummy Naruto is signing up for the upcoming Chūnin Exams. Iris and Ami keep hanging out together—I suspect they're— anyway… oh yeah, some folks from Sunagakure came looking for you, meow."
"Huh?" Link perked up a bit.
"Four of them: Temari, Gaara, Kankurō, and…" Hina's expression grew cautious, "and Sasori of the Red Sand. They're staying at a nearby inn."
"That guy is seriously dangerous, meow."
~~~
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