Boom!
Hashirama Senju's spirit recoiled backward, slamming through the wall in an instant and vanishing into the wooden shed.
Madara Uchiha retracted his punch and rose to his feet.
A pair of pale purple Rinnegan eyes glared coldly at Kei Yamanaka nearby.
Normally, spirits could not harm the living, but for those with immense power and vast chakra reserves, there were exceptions to this rule.
Without a physical body, they certainly lost access to many abilities—but without bodily limits, they could also achieve what was otherwise impossible under normal circumstances.
"Speed rivaling my Spirit Transformation Technique state," Kei thought grimly. Though surprised, he showed little reaction.
Not until…
...
Name: Madara Uchiha (Soul)
Occupation: Ninja
Skills: [Yin-Yang Cycle (Gold)], [Veteran's Will (Red)], [Battlefield Rose (Red)], [Sage Talent (Purple)], [Warring States Rival (Purple)], [Ballad of Blood and Fire (Purple)], [Born Tyrant (Purple)], [Lone Soul (Blue)], [Versatile Talent (Blue)], [Turbulent Strategist (Blue)], [Brother Obsession (Green)], [Fate Entanglement (Gray)], [Obsession (Gray)].
Note: Bloodline-related skills replicated in soul form may randomly mutate, becoming incomplete or adaptively altered.
...
Nerfed? Or… not?
The previously incomplete Red-tier skill "Yin-Yang Convergence" had mutated directly into the Gold-tier "Yin-Yang Cycle!"
Dammit! I'm even cheating, yet I still don't have a single golden skill!
Kei cursed inwardly while silently gathering natural energy from his surroundings.
Golden skills were undeniably powerful—but his current combat power far surpassed what it had been during his fight with Old Madara.
Combined with the massive chakra and regenerative abilities granted by his Natural Sage Body, and the conceptual-tier damage from Guaranteed Severing Blade, if battle broke out, he wouldn't fear Madara in the least.
Madara's expression darkened, his icy gaze locking onto Kei Yamanaka, who stood defiant, not retreating even an inch. His voice was glacial.
"The contract."
"Huh?"
Kei hesitated briefly before quickly catching on.
Without hesitation, he materialized the soul contract.
Earlier, when explaining Black Zetsu's scheme, he'd already clarified its function and use.
Madara signing the contract immediately meant he had clearly believed what Kei said before.
It was just that, due to his prideful nature, accepting the reality—of having been deceived once again—was understandably hard.
What Hashirama had said earlier was obviously psychological warfare, but it did provide a reason for him to leave the Pure Land.
Poor Hashirama, though—he really got the short end of the stick.
He got hit with a Friendly Face-Smashing Fist right off the bat.
After imprinting his soul signature, Madara raised his chin proudly.
Though their previous battle had occurred because his body was failing,
and he'd fallen victim to an unknown secret technique that caused his Mangekyō Sharingan to disappear and his Sage Transformation to regress—ultimately leading to defeat—
loss was loss. Refusing to admit defeat only made him a coward clinging to hollow pride.
He never belittled his opponents—that was beneath someone of his caliber.
But…
The memory of being defeated by this impostor wearing Tobirama Senju's face stirred a deep, instinctive unease in his soul.
"Stop playing these childish games! A strong warrior must understand his own strength!"
"Madara~ Just saying... If it bothers you, you can even call me Konohamaru Uchiha instead…"
Before Kei Yamanaka could respond, Hashirama Senju zipped like the wind through the wooden shed wall and flew toward Madara Uchiha.
"Get lost!"
A large "well"-shaped mark flared up on Madara's spectral forehead.
Without so much as a glance behind, he spun and strode into the Pure Land.
Yet now, his steps were markedly slower—nowhere near the fervor with which he'd charged out to throw punches moments ago.
"Hey! Wait, wait a second!"
As he chased after him, Hashirama turned his head back toward Kei Yamanaka.
"Son-in-law, don't forget to give me a tour of modern Konoha sometime. Let me catch up with Madara for now."
"Eh…"
Kei watched the two disappear into the Pure Land, their summoning formula fading away slowly. His expression was complex, bordering on unreadable.
They actually chased each other off together?
What the hell? Are they like some old couple having a lovers' quarrel nobody else is supposed to see?
Seriously!
Hashirama Senju… someone transplanted your cells, awakened the Rinnegan, and you didn't say a word. Then they punched you, and again—you showed no reaction whatsoever.
You—you—you!
Good thing Madara isn't a woman, or else Mito Uzumaki would've turned so green with jealousy she wouldn't recognize herself.
Shaking off the stray thoughts, Kei reappeared in Konoha via [Flying Thunder God Technique].
He had originally planned to test Wood Release against Sage Mode after sealing a contract with Hashirama.
Who would've guessed the other guy would just chase after Madara instead!
——————
At noon.
With New Year's Eve arriving, the entire Konoha village overflowed with festive cheer.
The villagers, usually immersed in work throughout the year, had dressed in traditional attire, walking hand-in-hand with family and friends along the streets, enjoying delicious food and participating in games.
Street vendors rarely seen during regular days lined the roads, selling snacks and fun activities.
Nearby towns' singers and talented performers stood upon elevated platforms built especially for the occasion, receiving waves of applause as they performed special New Year shows.
Dressed in a long robe embroidered with golden patterns against a black background—distinct from traditional Konoha attire—Kei walked side-by-side with Kushina, who wore an elegant Hanfu adorned with flowing cloud patterns.
Their appearances constantly drew curious glances from villagers.
Kushina was clearly thrilled with the outfit her boyfriend had picked out ahead of time.
She kept looking left and right excitedly, joy evident on her face.
Arm-in-arm with her boyfriend, she soaked up everyone's attention like she was glowing with pink sparkles.
Walking leisurely beside Kushina, Kei gradually noticed his once-empty stomach now full thanks to their frequent snack stops.
Looking at the bustling crowd on the street.
And that middle-aged vendor standing by a large basin of small goldfish, holding a thin paper net and beckoning to customers.
He silently activated the Mind Body Transmission Technique to alert the Root ninja on standby.
Major festivals like this, with heavy foot traffic and relaxed identity checks, are prime times for espionage of all kinds.
They had barely walked one street when he already spotted three spies from rival hidden villages.
Who knows how many more enemy spies were hiding in Konoha right now?
Pop! Pop! Pop!
As night slowly descended, fireworks burst across the sky.
After an entire afternoon of shopping, Kei Yamanaka and Kushina Uzumaki leaned against each other as they sat on top of the Spiral Tower,
watching together the brightly lit Konoha below and the dazzling fireworks bursting in the sky.
"Kei, we ditched Big Sister Tsunade the whole day. Is that okay?"
Kushina felt the cool evening breeze, gave a slight shiver, and nestled her soft body closer into her boyfriend's arms.
"I think it would've been worse if we brought her along."
As Kei recalled Tsunade's fierce gaze from last night, a nagging feeling told him something was off.
That shouldn't be happening!
In theory, she just felt some slight physical discomfort.
With Tsunade's easygoing and carefree nature, once her blood test results came back normal, she'd probably forget about it the next day.
Even if she did hold a grudge, without solid proof, that older sister wouldn't really stab someone in the back, would she?
Hmm...
Well, whatever.
No point dwelling on it anymore!
After all, he now had an ace up his sleeve.
If Tsunade really lost control, he could always call in her grandfather to talk some sense into her.
There was no trouble he couldn't resolve that way.
"Hehe~ Kei, why don't you secretly check up on Big Sister Tsunade?"
Kushina gently kissed her boyfriend. Even on this special day, she couldn't help worrying about Tsunade—whose life skills were seriously lacking.
"Fine."
Kei Yamanaka formed a single-handed seal,
quietly linked to the Sensing Barrier covering all of Konoha.
Once he locked onto Tsunade's chakra signature, he quickly pinpointed her exact location.
This was…
Konoha Hospital?
The third floor, farthest room to the right—was that the human specimen lab?!
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