Chapter 93: The Plan
Madara stared intently at Su Xiao, a suspicion growing in his mind that Su Xiao might be a spy sent by the other side.
It was no wonder Madara felt this way, as Su Xiao's plan was a bit too "whimsical." It was perfectly normal for Madara to be unable to accept it at first.
Madara's hands appeared to be hanging loosely at his sides, but in reality, he was already prepared to form hand seals and burn Su Xiao to death with "Great Fire Annihilation."
"My plan might sound absurd, but the risk is actually very low," Su Xiao said.
Su Xiao's cooperation with Madara had two purposes: first, to steal the kill—no, to deliver the finishing blow—and second, to hunt down powerful enemies.
Now, an opportunity was presenting itself to Su Xiao. He planned to have Obito resurrect Madara while also resurrecting Hashirama Senju.
That's right, Su Xiao's plan was that crazy. He intended to fight Hashirama Senju one-on-one. As for how to kill him, of course, he wouldn't confront him head-on. But it also wouldn't involve any other plot characters. The combatants on his side would be at most Su Xiao, Bubu Wang, and Amu.
With Su Xiao's strength, he could handle a single Kage on his own. As for Hashirama Senju, he could effortlessly defeat a Kage. Translating that, if Su Xiao fought Hashirama Senju, his survival rate wouldn't exceed 30%.
Note, this isn't the probability of losing the battle, but the survival rate.
Even so, Su Xiao still wanted to resurrect Hashirama Senju. It wasn't that he had lived long enough, but that he was indeed confident he could take on Hashirama Senju alone.
"Madara, you're not suspecting I'm a traitor, are you?"
"Hmph."
Long Aotian Madara snorted coldly, the meaning clear: aren't you?
"First of all, Hashirama Senju has already been reincarnated through the Impure World Reincarnation. Even though his current strength is less than when he was alive, he's definitely not weak. Right now, he has two advantages: immortality and infinite chakra."
Madara still didn't speak, but he tacitly agreed with Su Xiao's assessment.
"If we don't deal with him, he'll play a huge role in the war. He has incredible combat power, and he can also help the living with dangerous reconnaissance. Most importantly, he's the leader now. You should know better than me how high Hashirama's leadership charisma is."
Su Xiao looked at Obito, who was in a chaotic melee with numerous ninjas in the distance. Even though Obito was surrounded and attacked by many, he still had the upper hand. That was the power of the Six Paths.
Madara was also watching Obito, his eyes burning with desire for the Six Paths power.
"What you're saying makes some sense, but a living Hashirama is far stronger than you imagine."
Madara was sorting out his thoughts. He was now quite isolated, so he didn't want to have a direct falling out with Su Xiao.
"To others, a living Hashirama is terrifying. But to me, a living Hashirama isn't scary. On the contrary, once he gains life, he'll develop weaknesses. Hashirama cells aren't a perfect thing."
"No, Hashirama cells are perfect. They're even worthy of being compared to the Sharingan."
Madara's expression was clearly displeased. Although he saw Hashirama as an enemy, he still held considerable respect for him in his heart.
"In your era, the Senju Clan was a force to be reckoned with. But Hashirama has been dead for too long. Everything about him has been thoroughly researched."
"..."
This time, Madara couldn't refute it. When he was reincarnated through the Impure World Reincarnation, he found that Hashirama cells had been implanted in his body, but they were just ordinary Hashirama cells.
"You don't understand the secrets of Hashirama cells."
"Is that... really so?"
A test tube slid out from Su Xiao's sleeve. The tube was filled with a light green solution.
"This is..."
Madara's expression finally changed.
"This thing is called Primordial Hashirama Cells, the cells from Hashirama when he was alive. Also, those descriptions you wrote about Primordial Hashirama Cells..."
Before Su Xiao could finish, he noticed Uchiha Madara staring straight at him.
"That information was just something I wrote casually."
Madara changed the subject, apparently aware of how abstract his descriptions were when he wrote that data.
"So, you know a lot about Hashirama cells?"
"Of course. I've used Hashirama cells to create many things. While strengthening them, I naturally have ways to weaken them."
"Weaken them to what extent?"
Madara seemed somewhat tempted. He also knew that leaving the reincarnated Hashirama unchecked would lead to endless trouble.
Su Xiao, Obito, and Uchiha Madara—none of them seemed skilled in sealing techniques. Moreover, Obito was now in a traitorous state. After the seal in his heart was broken, he might engage in some self-reflection and then forcibly redeem himself.
If that happened, it would be Su Xiao + Madara vs. the Five Great Ninja Villages + the Former Hokage + Orochimaru + the Samurai of the Land of Iron + over a hundred contractors.
If it came to that, Su Xiao would say "take care" to Madara and return to Reincarnation Paradise, leaving Madara to face numerous enemies.
It wasn't that Su Xiao was untrustworthy, because Madara had a similar idea. If things went south, he would immediately undo the Impure World Reincarnation and have Black and White Zetsu continue to look for opportunities.
The current situation was that Obito was fierce enough to hold off the ninja army, but he could betray them at any moment.
After Madara was resurrected, he wouldn't put Naruto, Sasuke, Minato Namikaze, and the like in his eyes. The only one he truly feared was Hashirama.
"How can you be sure that once Hashirama is resurrected, you can definitely lure him away?"
"Sixty percent chance, but it requires your cooperation."
"My cooperation?"
"Yes."
Madara listened, stunned. At this moment, he had a vague feeling that this person was definitely not normal. At the very least, his way of thinking was different from all ninjas.
"Specifically, it's like this..."
Su Xiao began to discuss with Madara, and Madara quickly understood the situation.
"Whether it succeeds or not depends on our acting."
"The situation... might indeed develop that way."
Madara began to consider. Soon, he put forward his own views.
After several revisions to the entire plan, Su Xiao and Madara reached an agreement. Madara clearly didn't want Hashirama to continue causing trouble on the battlefield. When he was resurrected, he would be weak for a period of time. If he was held up by the immortal Hashirama then, it would be very troublesome.
Being resurrected only to be killed by the Allied Shinobi Forces was something Madara certainly couldn't accept. Therefore, he agreed to Su Xiao's plan to draw fire, or rather, it was a mutual agreement to help each other draw fire and cover the retreat.
"If you can successfully be resurrected, how long will it take to reach that state?"
Su Xiao tilted his chin towards Obito in the distance. He was asking how long it would take for Madara to become the Ten-Tails Jinchuriki.
"If all goes well, within an hour. But there's one thing I've always wondered: why did you come to me to cooperate? Wanting the God Tree fruit is just an excuse. So, tell me a reason I can believe."
Madara couldn't quite figure out why Su Xiao wanted to cooperate with him.
Hearing Madara's words, Su Xiao's mind raced. He couldn't exactly say that he needed to ally with Madara to complete a hidden quest.
"After I started this war, do you think there's any possibility of me coexisting peacefully with the Five Great Ninja Villages? Either they die, or I die. At the beginning of the war, our side had a huge advantage. Unfortunately, Obito and Kabuto performed 'too brilliantly' in the war."
Although Su Xiao didn't know if this reason would be enough to brush it off, he needed to make Madara understand that they were now in the same boat. Mutual suspicion was meaningless.
Was that really the case? Of course not. Su Xiao could return to Reincarnation Paradise at any time. That was the main reason he participated in the Fourth Great Ninja War.
"I'm curious. What method will you use to fight Hashirama?"
Madara also knew that their side now only had two combatants left. Mutual suspicion was indeed unwise.
PS: {Three more chapters coming soon.}