Chapter 323: Madara is Tired—Mentally Exhausted
"Four Symbols Seal!"
"Eight Trigrams Seal!"
"Reaper Death Seal!"
…
The most powerful sealing techniques in the ninja world were unleashed effortlessly by the Uzumaki clan and Senju Tobirama.
Among them, the one that posed the greatest threat to Uchiha Madara was undoubtedly Reaper Death Seal.
He wanted to summon Susanoo to wipe out all the White Zetsu in front of him, but the moment the blue skeletal frame began to materialize, the sealing marks on his body erupted like an infestation—
Boom!
The chakra skeleton he had just formed exploded into nothingness.
Madara felt as if he was fighting against himself.
No—he was fighting against his own chakra.
Every time he tried to mobilize his chakra, it was immediately absorbed by the sealing techniques Tobirama had planted inside him, transforming into restraining runes that locked him down.
Right now, it wasn't the enemy sealing him—
He was sealing himself.
Could he surpass himself?
…
Apparently not.
"SENJU! TOBIRAMA!!"
With each seal placed upon him, tightening his restraints, Madara's movements became more and more restricted.
His face darkened, his teeth clenched.
"The White Zetsu weren't replaced by you… It was Hyuga Fuji, wasn't it?! I didn't lose to YOU!"
Tobirama smirked.
"And what does that change?"
"You only exist right now because of my Edo Tensei. The fact that you're even standing here is thanks to me."
Behind Tobirama, the spectral figure of the Reaper emerged.
He smiled, making no attempt to hide his amusement.
"Speaking of which… aren't you curious?"
"How was I so sure that the sealing technique inside you was still working?"
"By all logic, I should have had no way to test it beforehand. So why was I so confident now?"
Madara's eyes widened as a memory surfaced—
The time when Tamako had pinned him down for research.
The only person who had ever experimented on him…
Was Tamako.
"You… Are you Tamako?! No… That's impossible."
Madara's gaze snapped toward the battle between Hikari and Tamako.
Tamako was right there!
How could she be Senju Tobirama?!
Unless…
That would mean…
Tobirama was crossdressing?!
Madara's expression twisted into something utterly indescribable.
For the first time in his life, he found himself questioning reality.
Tobirama, however, misinterpreted the look entirely.
He stepped closer, gazing at Madara—a man who had been deceived by Black Zetsu, White Zetsu, and even himself—with a cruel smile.
"Just as you're thinking… Tamako is not a single individual."
"Her main body is over there—"
Tobirama gestured toward Tamako's fight.
"But in the spiritual realm, she has many fragments."
"You wanna take a guess? When was the first time I assumed one of her identities to meet you?"
"Tamako is exceptional at illusion techniques, but she's terrible at scientific research."
At least let him lose with some dignity.
This was Tobirama's last act of 'kindness' toward his lifelong rival.
---
Around them, the Uzumaki ninja who had infiltrated White Zetsu's ranks exchanged awkward glances.
…
Wait a minute.
Tobirama liked playing as a female avatar in virtual worlds?
Had they seriously never noticed this before?
If he was so desperate to mess with Madara, given his capabilities, he could've infiltrated Akatsuki himself.
So why the hell had he chosen to do it in disguise?!
…
They had completely underestimated the Senju clan's depravity.
Tobirama definitely noticed their judgmental stares.
But…
He didn't care.
Ever since the day he had imagined a gender-swapped Hashirama and Madara—
Or worse, a female Madara and male Hashirama as a couple—
His entire worldview had shifted.
Playing as a female avatar?
Nothing.
Crossdressing?
…
Okay, maybe not.
Tobirama quickly dismissed the thought.
He stopped taunting Madara and simply grabbed his shoulders.
"Reaper Death Seal."
The Reaper's blade descended, and Madara's soul was slowly being pulled from his body.
The spectral figure licked its blade, eyes gleaming with greedy hunger.
It was ready to devour Madara's soul.
To seal him away forever.
But then—
Something unexpected happened.
"Black Zetsu! NOW!"
A shadowy hand erupted from the ground—
And stabbed straight into Madara's chest.
BOOM!
The black hand pierced through Madara's body, disrupting some of the sealing runes—
Though the Uzumaki seals remained intact.
But for Madara—
It was enough.
With the last remnants of his chakra, Madara formed a single seal—
"Release!"
His Edo Tensei body began to glow white—
His soul was being pulled back to the Pure Land.
The Reaper and the Pure Land were now fighting over his soul.
But just as Madara's spirit was about to be claimed—
His Rinnegan flared.
His gaze locked onto the Reaper.
His Mangekyō Sharingan spun.
The Reaper hesitated.
And that hesitation was all Madara needed.
His soul slipped away, vanishing toward the Pure Land.
"Senju Tobirama…"
Madara's voice echoed in the air.
"I lost this time."
"But next time—"
Tobirama ignored him.
He pulled out a small test tube, allowing a single drop of blood to fall.
Then, he gestured toward one of the White Zetsu clones—
"You. You're the sacrifice."
The White Zetsu nodded without hesitation.
"Understood."
It didn't matter.
Once their mission was over, they'd switch back to their original bodies anyway.
Tobirama didn't immediately activate Edo Tensei.
First, he engraved another sealing formula onto the sacrifice—
Then, he slammed his hand onto the ground.
"Edo Tensei!"
A brilliant white light shone from the sky—
And Madara's soul was forcefully dragged back.
The moment he returned—
"Four Symbols Seal!"
"Eight Trigrams Seal!"
"Reaper Death Seal!"
…
Madara: "…"
He had just been freed—
And he was immediately sealed again.
His expression was utterly blank.
He didn't even struggle.
As for Black Zetsu?
It had already fled the moment things went south.
And not because Madara had ordered it.
It ran on its own.
…
Wasn't it supposed to be his will incarnate?
Madara's lips curled into a bitter smile.
Black Zetsu wasn't his will.
Just like White Zetsu—
It had been a lie all along.
…
He had been chasing an illusion of peace.
And in return—
Everything around him was also an illusion.
The world was false.
Let it all burn.
(End of Chapter)