Tobirama Senju swung his fist and landed a solid whack on Hashirama Senju's head.
"Shut up, big brother! Don't go filling this kid's head with your weird ideas! This guy's already a mascot Hokage, outdoing even you in that department! If he starts taking after you, what's the point of the Hokage title in our village?!"
Hashirama clutched his head, pouting unhappily. "But I'm just telling the truth! Being Hokage is so boring! I'd rather spend that time skipping stones with Madara…"
Uchiha Madara shook his head helplessly, though a fond smile tugged at his lips. Then—
WHAM!
"Ow! Madara, why'd you hit me too?!" Hashirama whined.
"Shut it, you idiot! Do you want the Rinnegan or not?!" Madara snapped.
At the mention of the Rinnegan, Hashirama nodded eagerly, like a chick pecking at rice. "Want it, want it! Of course I want it, Madara! I wanna fuse with you!"
Madara quickly took a few steps back, his face twitching as he recalled their time in the summoning space. Back then, Hashirama, in all his goofy enthusiasm, had been way too eager to "fuse"—even trying to bite him and tug at his pants! It was downright creepy!
The others in the lab exchanged awkward glances. Hashirama's words were a bit… wild. Fusion? Between two guys? Was this for real?
The God of Shinobi, Hashirama Senju, and the Demon of the Ninja World, Uchiha Madara, were talking about fusing? The Konoha 12 couldn't help but give each other weird looks.
If they remembered correctly, didn't the First Hokage have a wife? Two men fusing like this… was that okay?
Tobirama's eyelid twitched uncontrollably. His big brother was practically glowing with excitement, looking like some kind of obsessed creep! That damn Uchiha Madara had completely stolen his brother's heart!
And don't even get him started on that shady Uchiha Izuna, who'd been pestering him for days. Or their father, who'd been wandering around the village with that sketchy Uchiha Tajima like they were best buddies! Those Uchihas—born troublemakers, every last one of them!
Meanwhile, the Konoha 12 started to notice something oddly familiar about Hashirama and Madara's dynamic. Their gazes drifted to Naruto Uzumaki and Sasuke Uchiha, lingering with knowing, teasing looks.
Naruto, oblivious as ever, didn't care or even notice the suggestive stares. Sasuke, on the other hand, squirmed uncomfortably, his mind flashing to an image of "Naruko"—the feminine version of Naruto from a genjutsu. Sigh… just an illusion. A nice dream, that's all.
Orochimaru slithered into the conversation. "I've studied the cells of both Lord First Hokage and Madara-senpai, and I must say, their cells are terrifyingly powerful. There's a unique chakra in each of them—different, yet strangely from the same source. To put it simply, all chakra in the ninja world comes from one origin, but the chakra in Lord First and Madara-senpai is much closer, like… half-brothers from different parents, if you will. It's truly fascinating."
He paused to let that sink in before continuing. "Madara-senpai's body has already integrated Lord First's cells, and the fusion is flawless. Even their unique chakras have merged perfectly. Normally, even between siblings or parent and child, there'd be some cellular rejection. But with these two? Nothing. In fact, their cells combine to create an entirely new energy. My research suggests that Madara-senpai awakened the Rinnegan precisely because of Lord First's cells. So, if Lord First wants the Rinnegan, he'll need to transplant Madara-senpai's cells. But for now, it's just a hypothesis—we'll need experiments to confirm."
Orochimaru glanced at Madara. "Madara-senpai, could you share what changes you experienced after integrating Lord First's cells? Any unique sensations in your chakra, your cells, or… maybe a specific part of your body?"
Madara's face suddenly flushed, and he looked distinctly uncomfortable. He reached up to adjust his collar, clearing his throat. "Ahem… uh, nothing special. Just… normal fusion stuff."
Orochimaru narrowed his eyes, sensing Madara was hiding something. Even Hashirama tilted his head, puzzled. Madara wasn't usually this cagey—there had to be a secret!
Ito Hirofumi, meanwhile, wore a mischievous grin. Of course Madara's body had changed! He'd just hidden it… on his chest. Wasn't it just a tattoo of his beloved's face etched over his heart?
And if Hashirama transplanted Madara's cells, wouldn't he end up with a tattoo of Madara on his chest?
Hirofumi burst into a creepy chuckle. "Keh keh keh keh keh!"
"What's so funny, little Hirofumi?" Hashirama asked, confused.
"Oh, nothing, Master's wife…" Hirofumi teased. "My teacher did have some changes to his body, but he's probably too shy to admit it. I mean, tattooing the face of the man you love on your chest? That's gotta be a bit embarrassing, right? Keh keh keh keh keh!"