Even though it wasn't decades into the future, the name Madara Uchiha still resounded across the Shinobi World like thunder.
And his eyes—different from the average Uchiha—were, of course, just as infamous.
The eyes that had just appeared in Uchiha Ang's sockets were undoubtedly the same type as Madara's: the Mangekyō Sharingan.
These eyes were unlike the standard Uchiha eyes. They possessed unique powers and characteristics.
That was one of the most well-known traits of Madara during his lifetime.
So when the Mangekyō appeared in Uchiha Ang's eyes, everyone present immediately fell silent.
They understood—the power of those eyes was not something any ordinary person could resist.
Especially Ōnoki, who had once witnessed Madara's disaster-level strength with his own eyes—his body trembled involuntarily.
Luckily, the others didn't notice these subtle details.
All eyes were locked on Uchiha Ang. No one had the energy to pay attention to such minor things.
That helped Ōnoki and the others save face—at least they weren't humiliated in front of everyone.
After all, as a Kage, one might fall in battle, but must never flee without fighting.
When Uchiha Ang revealed the Mangekyō just now, Mito Uzumaki was only briefly surprised before regaining her composure.
She knew—the Mangekyō didn't belong to Uchiha Ang. It was Uchiha Hikaru's.
And in fact, she was right.
The power sealed within the Mangekyō was indeed Uchiha Hikaru's dōjutsu: Mahāvairocana.
To ensure Mito Uzumaki's safety at this Five Kage Summit, Uchiha Hikaru had made several preparations.
He didn't just rely on the Flying Thunder God kunai as a surface-level safeguard in case Madara Uchiha made a move—he also sealed his dōjutsu into Uchiha Ang's eyes via transcription sealing.
The left eye would activate when Mito was about to enter combat.
Uchiha Hikaru had predicted that this meeting might not be so peaceful.
After all, even in the Five Kage Summit of the future—during a time of no war—the Kage couldn't get along. Let alone now.
The eye's greatest function was to intimidate the other Kage—to force them to settle down and actually listen to one another.
Uchiha Hikaru believed that in this era, a Mangekyō identical to Madara's would be enough to calm most people down.
And if the left eye had transcription sealing, then naturally the right eye did too.
Unlike the left, the right also housed Mahāvairocana, but with healing properties. It would activate when Mito was injured.
Once both seals were triggered, Uchiha Hikaru would immediately arrive on the scene using the Flying Thunder God.
Because if both were activated, it meant that Mito had already been wounded.
And if that were the case, aside from Madara, the only ones capable of hurting her… would be the combined force of the other Kage.
In such a situation, even if the timing wasn't ideal, Uchiha Hikaru wouldn't hesitate to make the other villages replace their Kage.
He was prepared to recreate the level of deterrence Madara once held over the Shinobi World.
Thankfully, the sudden appearance of the Mangekyō was enough to return the Kage to a state of calm.
Even the Raikage, who had just been posturing for a fight, sat back down.
Don't be fooled by how the Raikage line always seemed like hotheads—they had plenty of calculation behind the bravado.
Truth be told, even without Uchiha Hikaru's Mangekyō showing up, he wasn't really planning to clash with Mito.
He just wanted to make an early show of dominance to gain more leverage during the negotiations.
After all, as Mito had pointed out, the Second Hokage was killed by Hidden Cloud shinobi during peace talks with the Raikage.
From the start, the Hidden Cloud Village was in the wrong. If brought up during the summit, it would severely hurt their position.
Most would let it slide, but the Third Raikage chose another route—
He brought the issue up first, twisting the truth, muddying the waters, making it harder for Mito to use that event as bargaining leverage.
After all, sure—Konoha lost a Hokage, but didn't Hidden Cloud also lose someone?
The Third Raikage understood that perfectly. That's why, from the beginning, he planned to use this tactic to frame the narrative.
But instead of gaining the upper hand, he ended up shooting himself in the foot.
Uchiha Hikaru had already anticipated the other Kage stirring trouble, so he responded with overwhelming force from the start—putting them on edge and subtly lowering Konoha's perceived vulnerability.
A Nine-Tails jinchūriki was already intimidating enough, but now there was a Mangekyō too.
And its ability… was a flame that could cut space.
If used for an ambush, none of the four Kage present could confidently say they'd survive.
They couldn't win in a fight—so their only option was to negotiate properly.
Uchiha Hikaru's move forced the nearly-exploding summit back to the negotiating table.
Mito Uzumaki, of course, understood all this. Some matters were a bottom line—they couldn't be touched.
So she took a deep breath and calmly asked the Third Raikage:
"What you said just now—was that the opinion of a Kage… or your personal view?"
Looking at Mito's serious expression, the Third Raikage instantly realized he might've crossed a line.
He knew well—as a Kage, his words represented the will and stance of the entire village.
And although his original intent had been to safeguard his village's interests…
He had completely neglected Mito's feelings. That's how things escalated to this point.
Still, as a Kage, he had to uphold his own dignity and pride.
Backing down now would be humiliating.
But when he recalled that terrifying flame—capable of cutting through space itself—a cold dread gripped his heart.
As the Third Raikage, his pride lay in his indestructible defense and peerless offense.
But this kind of unreasonable, space-rending fire seemed tailor-made to counter his strengths.
And the Uchiha's Three-Tomoe Sharingan already offered exceptional motion tracking—how much more deadly would the Mangekyō be?
That meant even his speed wouldn't help him. And he understood—
If it ever came to a real battle, he might very well die under those eyes.
And if Hidden Cloud lost him—before the next generation had time to rise—it would be a disaster.
Even if the other villages didn't exploit the situation…
Facing both a Nine-Tails jinchūriki and a Mangekyō user was beyond unrealistic. The village wouldn't survive that storm.
After a long internal struggle, he finally forced out a reply through clenched teeth:
"It was… my personal view. Apologies."
Upon hearing that, Mito snorted coldly and dispelled the golden chakra cloak around her, calmly returning to her seat.