Although the experiment had gone through unexpected twists and turns, it was finally about to begin. Orochimaru's golden, snake-like eyes gleamed with an unnatural excitement as he gazed at Senju Hashirama lying on the cold, metallic experimental table. His long tongue flicked out, tracing over his lips as if he were savoring an exquisite meal.
Watching this unsettling display, Hashirama suddenly felt an instinctive chill run down his spine, his body tensing as a ridiculous thought crossed his mind.
"Madara—" he called out, his voice laced with unease.
From the shadows, Uchiha Madara clicked his tongue in irritation. "What now, idiot?"
"I'm… a little scared." Hashirama admitted, his lips pressing into a thin line. "Orochimaru's eyes are so creepy. I feel like he wants to do something to me!"
Madara's brow twitched at the sheer stupidity of the statement. Without hesitation, he lifted his foot and delivered a sharp kick to Hashirama's head.
BANG!
"You absolute moron!" Madara barked.
Hashirama sat up, rubbing the forming lump on his head with a pitiful look. "Did you have to hit me again?"
Orochimaru, who had been busy preparing the necessary tools for the experiment, briefly paused at their antics. His eyelid twitched, but he chose not to comment. Instead, he turned toward Madara, his expression turning businesslike.
"Madara, if you would be so kind…" Orochimaru gestured, pulling out a surgical scalpel.
Without hesitation, Madara reached for a kunai, slicing a clean chunk of flesh from his own arm and handing it over. The sight of his own torn muscle barely fazed him—this was nothing compared to what he had endured in battle.
Orochimaru took the sample carefully, his fingers trembling slightly with excitement. Hashirama, still rubbing his sore head, watched as the experiment began.
With utmost precision, Orochimaru and his assistants placed Uchiha Madara's flesh into a series of specialized containers. Machines buzzed and whirred as they scanned both Madara's tissue and Hashirama's cellular structure. Chakra-conducting fluids were injected, activating the fusion process at a molecular level.
Then, the real miracle began.
Madara's cells hungrily sought out Hashirama's body, intertwining with his flesh like creeping vines. The process was seamless—there was no rejection, no signs of incompatibility. Instead, the two sets of cells seemed to welcome each other, as if they had always been meant to merge.
Orochimaru's golden eyes widened as he observed the reaction. "Fascinating… This level of harmony is unheard of."
As the fusion reached its peak, a grotesque transformation occurred. Slowly, impossibly, a human face began to emerge on Hashirama's chest. The features sharpened, becoming unmistakably familiar—high cheekbones, strong brows, and a wild, spiky mop of hair.
It was Madara's face.
Everyone in the room stiffened. Even Orochimaru, who had witnessed countless monstrous experiments, was momentarily at a loss for words.
Hashirama, who had been lying still up until now, finally noticed the weight on his chest. He lifted his head slightly and blinked down. Then, his lips stretched into an amused grin.
"Madara! Look at this! I have your face on my chest!" he laughed. "And mine is way more detailed than yours! Even the hair is there! Hahahahahaha!"
Madara's expression darkened. "Shut up, fool!"
But even he couldn't deny that this phenomenon was beyond anything he had expected. When he had merged with Hashirama's cells all those years ago, he had only manifested a pattern on his body. Yet here was Hashirama, sporting a fully developed Uchiha Madara face on his chest.
This level of integration… was unnatural.
Madara frowned, rubbing his chin in thought. "Do you feel anything different?"
Hashirama closed his eyes for a moment, searching his body for any new sensations. Then, he shrugged. "Not really. My chakra feels stronger, and I can sense a new chakra nature, but my eyes are the same."
Madara's scowl deepened. This wasn't right. When he had received Hashirama's cells, he had immediately noticed a change in his vision. The foundation of his Rinnegan had been set the moment the fusion began. But Hashirama… nothing?
Orochimaru hummed thoughtfully, adjusting the machine's readings. "Strange… By all logical conclusions, the fusion is complete. However, there is something missing—something preventing the full awakening of Yin and Yang chakra within the First Hokage's body."
A heavy silence filled the laboratory. Everyone was thinking the same thing—what was missing?
Madara crossed his arms. If Hashirama didn't awaken the Rinnegan, then all of this would be pointless. Should he just force the process? Perhaps extracting Nagato's Rinnegan and transplanting them into Hashirama's skull would—
Before he could complete the thought, Souta Kazuki, who had been observing from the side, suddenly spoke.
"Orochimaru…" Souta narrowed his eyes, his mind racing through everything he knew about the Rinnegan's awakening process. "Could it be… that what's missing is the Sharingan?"
The room fell silent.
Souta took a step forward, gesturing towards Hashirama. "Think about it. The Rinnegan is an evolution of the Sharingan. Both Indra's and Asura's chakra have merged inside Hashirama, but he doesn't have a base form of the Sharingan to act as a catalyst. What if we implanted a pair of Uchiha eyes first?"
Orochimaru's eyes gleamed with interest. "That… makes sense."
Madara raised an eyebrow. "You're suggesting that we give this fool a pair of Sharingan?"
"Exactly," Souta confirmed. "Without them, his body is lacking the crucial element to initiate the transformation."
Hashirama's eyes widened. "Wait, wait, wait! Are you saying you want to give me Sharingan? But I don't even like genjutsu!"
Souta smirked. "It's not about genjutsu, Hashirama. It's about evolution."
Hashirama frowned, staring down at his chest where Madara's face scowled back at him. Then, he sighed. "Well… I do want to see if I can get cool new eyes…"
Madara clicked his tongue. "Hmph. Fine. But if you do get a Sharingan, I expect you to actually use it properly."
Hashirama gave him a thumbs-up. "You got it, Madara! If I get Sharingan, I'll make sure to—"
BANG!
Madara kicked him again.
"Just shut up, idiot."