"Then, Radama-Senpai, let's play together again next time!"

With a sunny, slightly dopey grin, the girl named muzi waved goodbye to Uchiha Madara—the day's game session had come to an end.

Madara's body was stiff as he stared at the girl about to log off. It looked like he wanted to say goodbye as well, but after being out of practice in social interactions for so long, he had no idea how to.

Unfortunately, before the lonely old shinobi could gather his thoughts, the girl had already vanished from the game, leaving him feeling somewhat lost.

He opened the in-game friend list—a basic feature in this LAN-based game. Despite being a dominant player, many had sent friend requests to Madara lately, hoping to connect. But the proud and powerful Beast King had always refused. He was not someone who would befriend weaklings.

Yet today, a new name appeared on his friend list.

It was muzi—the girl's in-game name. She had sent the request, and after a moment's hesitation, Madara accepted.

She then invited him to team up, and the two played match after match all afternoon. Eventually, she said it was enough gaming for the day, leading to the earlier farewell.

Madara stared at her now-greyed-out name for a while before finally logging off.

Back in the real world, Madara gazed blankly upward. His consciousness had returned, but his thoughts still wandered.

Nearby, the White Zetsu clones serving him grew curious. What had gotten into Madara-sama?

Some of them even began to wonder if reporting this to Kei-dono might earn them another reward—specifically, the coveted "Intestinal Flavor Burst Technique."

Indeed, the White Zetsu under Madara's command had long been converted to loyal followers of Uchiha Kei. Every move Madara made was under Kei's surveillance. There were no secrets.

Within a thousand kilometers of the Hidden Leaf Village, there were virtually no White Zetsu who hadn't pledged absolute loyalty to Kei-dono—except for the unique case of Tobi.

This explosive wave of loyalty started a month ago when Big White, the first to be rewarded with Kei's special technique, experienced a kind of spiritual awakening. With his guidance, the converted Zetsu began preaching, leveraging their natural stealth to spread the word undetected—even from Black Zetsu.

Some dissenters were eliminated on Big White's orders.

Though Black Zetsu technically oversaw all White Zetsu, he couldn't monitor them closely. His perception range was limited, and he could only vaguely detect their presence in distant regions. Meanwhile, the White Zetsu could clearly sense him, a design intended to make them easier to summon.

Now, they used that very trait to avoid him and sneak off to meet with Kei.

Black Zetsu, once the ultimate intelligence broker of the shinobi world, had become a blind man holding all the keys but none of the knowledge.

Even if he wanted to know, he couldn't. And if Black Zetsu didn't know, Madara certainly didn't either.

Unaware he was being watched, Madara sat up after a while and summoned one of the White Zetsu.

To the others' shock, he used the clone as a sacrifice to perform the Reanimation Jutsu (Kuchiyose: Edo Tensei).

None of them had expected this. But to Madara, the White Zetsu were nothing more than tools—thinking otherwise was never an option.

This wasn't even the first time he'd done it.

He just wanted to confirm a theory—one involving a certain yearning he hadn't dared to voice.

"Now then... let's see, Hashirama. Are you still in the Pure Land... or have you already been reincarnated?"

With that soft murmur, he stared intently at the White Zetsu as it was engulfed by swirling dirt. The Reanimation Jutsu was underway.

Though this forbidden jutsu was developed by the Second Hokage, Madara had long since mastered it. He only needed the basic version—which lacked combat capabilities but could still confirm whether a soul existed.

What he wanted to know was: Is the soul of Senju Hashirama still in the Pure Land?

That answer would determine how he dealt with the girl muzi moving forward.

Meanwhile, none of the White Zetsu missed the conflicted look in Madara's eyes.

To them, the comparison was obvious—Madara paled next to Kei-dono.

Kei didn't treat them like disposable tools. He rewarded their efforts—especially with treats they loved.

In every way, Madara fell short. Loyalty to Kei-dono was clearly the right path.

Yes, they had to go even further!

Their goal: total conversion! Within one year, every last Zetsu would serve Kei-dono!

As for Madara, his summoning failed.

Hashirama's soul did not respond. What emerged was only a broken shell resembling him. The Reanimation crumbled quickly, and the sacrificed White Zetsu withered away.

But Madara didn't care. He was deep in his own world now.

His face twisted through emotions—smiling, struggling, amused—then burst into laughter.

He had confirmed it.

Hashirama's soul was gone from the Pure Land.

Which could only mean one thing.

He had reincarnated.

Madara didn't believe for a second that Hashirama's soul would just vanish. No—he was Senju Hashirama. The one man Madara acknowledged.

Their bond couldn't be erased. Even reincarnation couldn't sever it.

So the girl he met today—muzi—had to be Hashirama's reincarnation.

He used to scoff at such notions. But when the truth hits you in the face, even the proudest man must acknowledge it.

Madara now felt a strong urge to find muzi in the real world.

He wanted to know what she was like in person. Was she the same as in-game?

But he restrained himself.

This was Hashirama's reincarnation, after all. A unique existence.

A girl who cheerfully called him "senpai" without hesitation.

The thought rattled him.

There was so much he wanted to do. So much he wanted to say.

But in the end, he held it in.

He didn't want to manipulate her.

Didn't want to use her.

"She has nothing to do with the Eye of the Moon Plan anyway," he muttered. "It's fine... our relationship can stay in the game."

He was convincing himself. And it worked.

Hashirama was the past. Even reincarnated, he couldn't interfere with the plan.

Meanwhile, in the spiritual network world, Senju Hashirama was smiling.

Today's interaction with Madara had brought back memories of their youth.

"Madara's still the same. Stubborn mouth, soft heart... My guiding star, as always."

"Hm? Is someone trying to summon me?"

"Denied. Denied. No way I'm letting myself be summoned by some random fool."

Feeling the faint tug of a summoning, Hashirama brushed it off. He was reborn within the spiritual network world, and he had no intention of answering any weird summons.

He happily returned to reminiscing about the day's experience.

It had been magical.

He even wanted to jump into the next gaming session with Madara—pull an all-nighter maybe.

But he resisted.

According to Kei-dono's strategic plan, patience was key. Rushing things would ruin everything.

First things first: report today's mission to Kei-kun!