Chapter 271: Really Fell for It
Hearing Uchiha Madara say he had a way to deal with a powerful enemy, Senju Hashirama immediately became interested.
"But you still haven't told me—who exactly is the enemy that has you so on edge? It doesn't seem to be Ōtsutsuki Kaguya, right? You said she was already sealed away by the Sage of Six Paths."
Hashirama asked curiously.
"He's Kaguya's partner. Back then, he and Kaguya came here together, intending to split this world's chakra between them. But that woman Kaguya ambushed him instead."
"He's been lurking in the shinobi world for over a thousand years. Now he plans to rise again. If he succeeds, this world will cease to exist—so will you and I, Hashirama."
Madara gave a rough explanation about Ōtsutsuki Isshiki.
Of course, it was only a selective explanation.
As long as he could make Hashirama believe him, that would be enough.
"With his simple way of thinking, tricking him shouldn't be hard…" Madara thought to himself.
Sure enough, after listening, Hashirama's expression grew much more serious.
At this moment, Hashirama fixed his gaze on Madara and asked, "So, what is your method to deal with such a strong enemy?"
"Becoming the Ten Tails' jinchūriki."
Madara answered without hesitation.
"What?"
Hashirama's eyes hardened, full of doubt and unease.
"If the nine tailed beasts are brought together and sealed into the Demonic Statue of the Outer Path, the Ten Tails can be revived."
"Only by making me the Ten Tails' jinchūriki can we stand against Ōtsutsuki Isshiki."
"This is the only way. Otherwise, we can only watch this world be destroyed before our eyes."
Madara's words carried no unusual tone.
He calmly observed Hashirama's reaction.
At the same time, Hashirama remained silent, also scrutinizing him.
After a while, Hashirama finally said, "I can't be sure whether what you're saying is true, Madara."
"If we let you become the Ten Tails' jinchūriki, your power would go beyond my control. If you then decided to harm the world, I'd be in real trouble."
Hearing this, Madara's heart skipped a beat.
He inwardly snorted coldly: "Didn't expect him to catch on…"
After all, this was his lifelong rival.
Hashirama might seem dense or overly straightforward at times, but Madara never truly thought of him as a fool.
Seeing Hashirama grow suspicious, Madara added, "Those guys are coming—you can ask them about Uchiha Dali, who he is and how strong he is."
"Right now, he's trapped in a separate space created by Isshiki. That alone shows how terrifying that man is."
Hashirama could already sense Hiruzen Sarutobi and the others rushing toward them.
Turning back, he saw Hiruzen himself leading a squad swiftly approaching.
But Hashirama ignored them and turned his gaze back to Madara. "I still can't believe you, Madara."
"I haven't seen the Ten Tails' power with my own eyes, but if it's the fusion of all nine beasts, it must be extraordinary."
"You don't have a choice, Hashirama."
Madara forced down his anger, feigning composure.
But Hashirama shook his head. "There must be another way. If Isshiki attacks Konoha, I'll deal with him myself!"
Madara's anger had already reached its limit.
Just as he was about to erupt and drop the pretense completely, Hashirama suddenly said, "Of course, my plan can't guarantee success, so we still need a backup."
"If you agree to my condition, I'll let you become the Ten Tails' jinchūriki."
The sudden turn of events left Madara almost overjoyed.
But he forced himself to stay calm and asked, "What condition?"
"You must make a Sage's Contract with me."
"Sage's Contract?"
"Using my Sage chakra as the medium, we establish a binding pact. That way, I can control the Ten Tails too."
"If you ever try to use its power for evil, I'll stop you myself!"
Madara fell silent.
After battling Hashirama for so many years, he never knew Hashirama had such a card up his sleeve.
"To think he kept this hidden even from me… is this one of the Uzumaki clan's sealing arts?"
Madara mused silently, then after a few seconds, he agreed outright.
After all, once he became the Ten Tails' jinchūriki, no one would be able to stop him.
Not even Hashirama.
"Let's begin."
"The nine tailed beasts are in the hands of a woman named Konan. We must find her immediately—if we're late, it'll be too late."
He still tried to heighten the sense of urgency.
Not that it was entirely an act—Madara truly worried Isshiki might get ahead of him.
That man wasn't gravely injured, just weakened. As soon as he recovered, he would certainly come to Konoha looking for trouble.
"Wait, Madara!"
Hashirama stopped him just as he was about to leave.
"If I remember right, the Nine Tails was sealed inside Mito, wasn't it?"
He asked in a low voice.
Uzumaki Mito was his wife.
She was also the first jinchūriki of the Nine Tails in Konoha.
From this point in time, Mito was clearly no longer alive.
But Hashirama didn't know who the second or even third jinchūriki was.
So he asked.
"If there are jinchūriki, the other villages must have them too. If you plan to gather all nine tailed beasts, that means killing jinchūriki."
Hashirama's tone grew serious again.
He could not accept the idea of killing jinchūriki.
Hearing this, Madara chuckled.
"Hashirama, you haven't activated Sage Mode yet, have you?"
He asked.
"What about it?"
"If you want to solve the problem you're worried about, we'll need your Sage chakra."
"And what exactly do you plan to do?"
"Share some of it with me."
Madara extended his hand confidently.
Hashirama hesitated, then said, "If you truly believe this will work, I don't mind."
He then generously entered Sage Mode and leapt toward Madara.
Madara instantly grew wary.
But when Hashirama landed, he didn't attack. Instead, he stood openly and stretched his hand out to Madara. "So then, what do you plan to do?"
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