After the previous battle with Madara Uchiha, Haseo could be certain of a few things: first, the destruction of the Demonic Statue of the Outer Path. Second, Madara Uchiha's death; third, the termination of the Rinnegan.
And possibly also Black Zetsu's death.
Black Zetsu was nominally regarded as Kaguya Otsutsuki's son, but in reality, he was merely a spiritual consciousness separated from Kaguya. Haseo didn't know whether this special entity could be destroyed purely through physical means… or whether sealing would be required to eliminate him?
But Black Zetsu had first suffered a Mental Invasion, then continuous burning from Shōtenme. At the time, he was crouched at the foot of the Demonic Statue of the Outer Path, right at the explosion's epicenter—the center of a thermonuclear detonation. No matter what kind of body you have, theoretically there's no way to survive that.
As for White Zetsus, frankly speaking, they were never Haseo's primary targets, and the White Zetsus hadn't been hiding around Madara Uchiha either… Simply put, Haseo didn't care about them; isolated White Zetsus posed a minimal threat.
However, all this was just Haseo's own judgment—it didn't necessarily match reality.
Firstly, there was the issue of Izanagi. This was an ultimate Genjutsu technique unique to the Sharingan state. Haseo could only guarantee that during their fight, Madara did not revert to his Sharingan state. In theory, Madara should have had no opportunity to use this technique during the battle.
As for whether Madara had already prepared this Jutsu well in advance… Frankly speaking, that was unsolvable. Madara definitely had backup Sharingan eyes capable of using that technique.
But Haseo could deal with Madara, not with game-breaking bugs.
If Madara could only revive at the original spot, then after days of watching the remains without any results, it would confirm that he was truly dead. However, if Madara could choose to revive elsewhere, things would become uncertain… After all, Izanagi indeed restored both location and status. It was a Genjutsu—not a Space-time Ninjutsu.
Considering various possibilities comprehensively, Haseo believed Madara should already be dead. The slight sense of dissonance he felt during the battle further supported this conclusion—in the middle of combat, Madara's mental state didn't seem fully prepared.
Actually, fundamentally speaking, whether Madara lived a few more years or fewer made practically negligible difference to his "subsequent plans." His death was likely intentional, even purposeful…
With "Zetsu" as the executor of the Plan, Madara himself wasn't that important anymore—at present, Madara still believed Black Zetsu was absolutely loyal to him.
Clearly, for some unknown reason, Haseo had already uncovered part of Madara's scheme. Therefore, if Madara could convince Haseo that the whole plan had failed by faking his death, making Haseo stop interfering, then even if Madara died, he'd still come out on top.
Haseo's attack was sudden, yet Madara's response was timely.
There was a "blind spot" that had existed in Haseo's mind from the very beginning. He assumed that if the Rinnegan ever came under threat, it would surely be returned to its rightful owner... In fact, he did see Black Zetsu taking the Rinnegan away from Nagato, so this became his certainty and the foundation of his actions.
However, this assumption was mistaken.
Black Zetsu split himself, and the Rinnegan he took away was merely an [Outer Path projection]... It was a bold and brilliant feint—remarkably clever for a being that had existed for thousands of years.
Haseo wasn't entirely wrong for failing to tell reality from illusion. During his battle, Madara had continuously used various functions of the Rinnegan normally—how could Haseo know that wasn't the real Rinnegan?
Except for one thing: throughout everything, Madara never once used his [Limbo: Border Jail].
So overall, Haseo only truly damaged one thing regarding the [Infinite Tsukuyomi]—that being the destruction of the [Demonic Statue of the Outer Path]... Regardless, his battle efforts were certainly worthwhile because it indeed gave the enemy a real sting.
Black Zetsu's hatred toward Haseo might possibly rank just below his hatred toward the Six Paths Sage's brothers.
...
The pungent smell of medicine continued to fill the medical room.
Lying on the bed, Haseo couldn't help but wrinkle his nose slightly before giving orders to the people beside him, "Open the window for some ventilation. Otherwise, with this smell and atmosphere, it'll feel like I really checked out."
Many people disliked this kind of "hospital scent," but Mokkō and Sannai, who stood guard nearby, didn't immediately follow Haseo's command. Instead, they first glanced at Tsunade standing on the other side. Only after seeing her nod did they go to open the window—who the real boss was, they understood clearly enough.
A gentle breeze drifted in instantly, quickly refreshing Haseo and making him feel more energetic.
Haseo's injuries were purely physical; although complicated in nature, they were only external wounds. After returning once again from the battlefield, under Tsunade's meticulous care—which was at the level of a top-tier Medical Ninja—he had recovered quite quickly.
"Haseo, regarding your arm issue... your situation is extremely unique. If we attempt external cell cultivation and replication, it would be nearly impossible—the cells are far too invasive."
Tsunade was a doctor by profession and didn't believe in extreme methods. So if even someone like Orochimaru—a "mad scientist"—couldn't solve this problem, she probably couldn't either.
"So the best current alternative would be creating an artificial limb using First Hokage's leftover cells. What do you think?" Obviously, Tsunade didn't want Haseo to remain a one-armed man forever. Therefore, restoring his arm had become an "established plan." The current issue was simply choosing which method to use.
"No thanks... Using First Hokage's cells poses significant risks. My bodily condition is already very complex—I don't want to disrupt the delicate balance I currently have within myself.
Besides, there's another issue.
Think about it—if later on I stroke your head affectionately and you felt a grandfatherly warmth, what then?"
"…"
That perspective in thinking things through was pretty sharp… unusually sharp.
It wasn't a matter of spiritual purity or some obsessive fear of corruption—Haseo simply thought his original body was better. He didn't really want to accept body integration or enhancements through foreign parts—it was just personal preference; if he didn't like something, he didn't like it.
After thinking for a moment, Haseo admitted that lacking a hand could indeed be inconvenient. "Then I guess I'll go with a puppet prosthetic limb," he said. "I'm pretty confident in my fine chakra control."
"The Puppet Technique is essentially manipulating chakra threads, and I don't even need to remotely control something far away. So for me right now, this shouldn't be too difficult—just a bit of practice will do. And no kidding, I'm really good at pulling chakra threads—you know what I mean?"
"…"
Tsunade… actually did understand.
Mokkō and Sannai suddenly became very focused on admiring the lawn just outside the window, clearly not hearing what came next at all… Not one word.
Oh, this place looks so nice—it's so green.
That's right, so lush and verdant.
"A basic puppet prosthetic limb isn't hard to make. We can even make one right away for you to start practicing with," Tsunade said. "Still... are you sure this is your final decision, Haseo?"
As a medical ninja, she had broad expertise. Crafting an arm that matched human anatomy and offered considerable control was truly no big deal for her.
"That settles it. Something simple and functional will work just fine," Haseo decided without hesitation.
He thought to himself, thank goodness it was his right hand that got cut off—if it were the left, he'd definitely stick an axe, sword, spear, or even an umbrella into the prosthetic. Like a multi-tool knife or something.
At that moment, Mokkō suddenly turned around and joined the conversation.
"If that's the case, Lord Haseo, a temporary prosthetic can be used for practice. But for actual use..." She paused. "I just happened to find a suitable material—wood.
Please wait a second while I go fetch it."
With that, Mokkō hurried downstairs, then hurried back up.
When she returned, she placed the so-called "material" before them all. After Haseo's earlier battle ended, it had been Mokkō and Ka-jin who took care of cleaning the battlefield.
So yes, she truly brought a piece of wood.
And more precisely, it was wood from the "God Tree"—
—the Uchiha war fan.
"Erm…
Mokkō, your way of thinking is quite sharp… Very, very sharp indeed."
Not bad—it's actually a pretty great material… But isn't this technically Uchiha property? Just tearing it apart like that without asking anyone?
Ah, but it's Haseo's spoils of war?
And the Uzumaki don't have to worry about Uchiha matters?
Does the Hokage have authority over all property in the village? Are the Uchiha considered part of the Fourth's estate?
This… is basically confiscation.
Taking from thieves to fight against thieves—it's poetic justice in a way.
Yeah, then there's no problem.
PS:
Vote for the monthly polls please—I've never been closer to breaking into the Top 100!
(End of this chapter)
<><><><><><><><>
Thank you for reading! Your support will keep me updating!
~ Every 50 Powerstones = **4 Bonus Chapters** this weekend!
<><><><><><><><>
~ 100+ Advanced Chapters Available on Patreon!
~ More *Free* Chapters and Books Available on Patreon!
patreon.com/Tansnovel
<><><><><><><><>